Mette Gjerskov


Mette Gjerskov is a Danish politician, member of the Social Democrats, the former minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. She is currently serving as the deputy parliamentary group leader of the Social Democrats as well as the party's spokesperson on development cooperation. She is also the chairman of the important Foreign Policy Committee.

Biography

She finished her studies as an agronomist at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in 1993. Before this she studied mathematics, physics and chemistry at an evening school for adults in Ballerup.
She worked as a civil servant of the minister of Agriculture from 1995 to 2004. She was elected as deputy of Folketing for the 2005 election. After central-left and left won the election on 15 September 2011, she was nominated as the minister of food, agriculture and fisheries in the cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Gjerskov lost her ministry to Karen Hækkerup after the cabinet reshuffle of 9 August 2013.