Mehmet Mehdi Eker

{{short description|Turkish politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Mehdi Eker

|image = Mehdieker1.jpg

|office = Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock

|primeminister = Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ahmet Davutoğlu

|term_start = 2 June 2005

|term_end = 28 August 2015

|predecessor = Sami Güçlü

|successor = Kutbettin Arzu

|office1 = Member of the Grand National Assembly

|term_start1 = 8 July 2018

|term_end1 =

|constituency1 = Diyarbakır (2018)

|term_start2 = 19 November 2002

|term_end2 = 7 June 2015

|constituency2 = Diyarbakır (2002, 2007, 2011)

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|1|1|df=y}}

|birth_place = Bismil, Diyarbakır, Turkey

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Justice and Development Party

|spouse = Yasemin Eker

|alma_mater = Ankara University

}}

Mehmet Mehdi Eker is a Kurdish-Turkish politician who served as the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey from 2005 until 2015.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebusinessyear.com/turkey-2014/yield-of-dreams/interview|title=Yield of Dreams|website=The Business Year|access-date=2019-11-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://newleftreview.org/issues/II107/articles/cengiz-gunes-turkey-s-new-left|title=Cengiz Gunes, Turkey's New Left, NLR 107, September–October 2017|website=New Left Review|language=en|access-date=2019-11-05}} He was elected a Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Diyarbakır for Democratic People's Party in 2002.{{Cite web|url=https://secim.haberler.com/2002/diyarbakir-secim-sonuclari/|title=Diyarbakır SEÇİM SONUÇLARI|website=secim.haberler.com|access-date=2019-11-05}} He was re-elected in 2007{{Cite web|url=https://www.yenisafak.com/secim-2007/diyarbakir-ili-milletvekili-dagilimi|title=Seçim Sonuçları 2007 - Milletvekili Genel Seçim Sonuçları|last=Şafak|first=Yeni|date=2019-03-11|website=Yeni Şafak|language=tr-TR|access-date=2019-11-05}} and 2011{{Cite web|url=https://www.yenisafak.com/secim-2011/diyarbakir-bismil-secim-sonuclari|title=Bismil Seçim Sonuçları 2011 - Genel Seçim 2011|last=Şafak|first=Yeni|date=2019-05-11|website=Yeni Şafak|language=tr-TR|access-date=2019-11-05}} for the Justice and Development Party (AKP). He was again elected as an MP in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yenisafak.com/secim-2018/diyarbakir-bismil-secim-sonuclari|title=Diyarbakır Bismil Genel Seçim Sonuçları {{!}} Genel Seçim 2018 Diyarbakır Bismil|last=Şafak|first=Yeni|date=2019-05-11|website=Yeni Şafak|language=tr-TR|access-date=2019-11-05}}

A veterinarian and agro-economist he had a career as a civil servant in the ministry of agriculture before entering politics at the age of 46.

As minister of Agriculture he has had to deal with issues including:

• The bird flu epidemic of 2005, in which he made a statement that it was safe to eat cooked chicken and then famously refused to do so on television.[http://www.milliyet.com.tr/2005/10/13/yasam/yas03.html Milliyet İnternet - Yaşam]
• Adjusting food control regulations to comply with EU norms, including recategorising pork and horse meat as suitable for human consumption.[http://www.milliyet.com.tr/2006/07/08/ekonomi/eko02.html Milliyet İnternet - Ekonomi]