IV · 01 Story — Timeline
Sixty-one years, one line
A vertical chronology drawn like a field boundary: one continuous line from Straubing in 1965 to the federal cabinet. Every date has been checked against the Bundestag and Federal Government biographies or official records.
- Craft · 1965–1995
1965
Born in Straubing
Alois Rainer is born on 7 January 1965 in Straubing, Lower Bavaria. His father enters the Bundestag the same year, where he sits for the CSU until 1983.
1971to 1980
School in Haibach
Primary and lower-secondary school (Grund- und Hauptschule) in Haibach.
1980to 1983
Butcher apprenticeship
Three-year vocational training in the butcher’s trade. Craft & Family Business
1983to 1984
Military service
Basic military service in the Bundeswehr.
1986
Master butcher
Passes the master craftsman’s examination (Meisterprüfung).
1987
Takes over the family business
Takes over his parents’ butcher’s shop and inn in Haibach.
1989
Joins the CSU
Membership of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria.
- Community · 1996–2013
1996
Mayor of Haibach
Elected first mayor of Haibach. He holds the office until 2014. Local Leadership
1999
CSU district executive
Joins the executive of the CSU district association Straubing-Bogen (deputy chair since 2015).
2002
District council
Elected to the Straubing-Bogen district council (Kreistag), where he still sits.
2009
Local-politics association
Chair of the CSU local-politics association (KPV) for Lower Bavaria.
- Parliament · 2013–2025
2013
Elected to the Bundestag
Wins the Straubing constituency (then no. 231). Full member of the Budget Committee, the Committee on Food and Agriculture and the Audit Committee. Bundestag
2014
Leaves the mayor’s office
Ends eighteen years as mayor of Haibach.
2017
Re-elected
Second direct mandate (47.6 %). Moves to the Transport Committee.
2018
Budget and finance spokesperson
Spokesperson of the CSU group in the Bundestag until October 2019. Finance & Budget
2019
Transport spokesperson
Transport policy spokesperson of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group until December 2021. Transport Policy
2021
Chair of the Finance Committee
Re-elected in September (44.3 %) and elected chair of the Finance Committee in December, a post he holds until 2025.
- Government · 2025–
2025February
Fourth direct mandate
Wins the renumbered constituency 230 Straubing with 46.3 % of first votes.
20256 May
Federal Minister
Appointed Federal Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity in the cabinet of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and sworn in before the Bundestag. On 27 May the family butcher’s shop closes.
2025November
Diesel refund and budget
The Bundestag restores the full agricultural diesel refund (6 November) and passes the 2026 agriculture budget of €6.99 billion (27 November).
2026Jan – Mar
Green Week, GFFA, wolf law
Hosts the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in January. The wolf is brought under federal hunting law in March.
2026Jun – Sep
Question time, animal welfare, Heimat, harvest
Bundestag question time (10 June), Animal Welfare Act first reading (9 July), Heimat agenda (16 July) and the drought harvest report with around €1 billion in aid (2 September).
Exchange meeting at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, 2026.
Sources: Bundestag biographies; Federal Government CV; Federal Returning Officer; Bundestag text archive; BMLEH press releases. See the linked chapters for individual sources.