Norwegian farmers, Conflict | Fight each other and your own government

Normally sane farmers fighting against each other and their own government.

It all culminated in front of the Storting in connection with the processing of the escalation plan(!) for Norwegian food production, which will both increase Norwegian food production by 20 percent and close the income gap between farmers and other groups in society.

What was initially a long-awaited breakthrough for, and recognition of, Norwegian agriculture ended in a violent family showdown for an open stage that resulted in losses for all parties on all sides:

A relatively broad-based agreement with the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, the Storting voted down the goal of income equalization until 2027, the Government, the Center Party and the Farmers’ Association can state that their defining power and ability to implement agricultural policy has been completely stripped and decimated, the Small Farmers’ Association can enjoy a lot of media attention and a a result that obviously sets Norwegian agriculture back.

It’s a bit like a child’s birthday party that gets completely out of hand without the adults being able to take back control.

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How did we end up here?

For those of us who still have a foot in Norwegian agriculture, I think the reality can be summed up like this; a lot of work, low profitability, ever greater risk and capital exposure and thus an everyday life that differs from other groups to an increasing degree.

The last few years of strong cost growth on all operating assets combined with a regulated income side have resulted in poorer liquidity and a strong experience of poorer profitability. Many people are closing down, rationalization is progressing quickly and if you want to continue, there is no way out of bigger investments, more production and more work.

This naturally gives grounds for frustration and anxiety for the future.

The notion that agricultural policy is the one, defining center around which all development gravitates is, in my view, wrong. It is important, but as with everything else, the overall development features in Norwegian agriculture and food production are the sum of heavy development features over time that are also about culture, sociology, other development features in society, technology and capital. To name the most important.

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Limits on what the Storting can adopt

Here, too, there are limits to what the Storting can adopt, fortunately people live free lives and can make independent choices. It is therefore a flawed analysis to place all the blame for developments that you don’t like on politics, just as politics cannot take all the blame for the fact that too few want to apply for our teacher training courses or that far too many go on social security.

Sometimes we simply have to go within ourselves.

Ever since the mechanization of agriculture and the industrial revolution 200 years ago, agriculture has supplied labor to other sectors of society. In Norway, as in the rest of the world, this has been a prerequisite for prosperity growth and development in society as a whole. Even now, with barely 40,000 farmers, there is no indication that this development is stopping.

A wealth of demands from society on everything from climate, biodiversity and animal welfare drive costs up and the number of uses down. The technology enables constant improvements in efficiency, no other industry can show a similar productivity development through the use of new technology as Norwegian food production. And finally, it is my observation that the culture and sociology are changing strongly.

For me, agriculture is a vocation, an identity and something I love, for my children at best an opportunity for meaningful work and income.

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Without farmers, there will be little food production

The big question now was how we as a nation will be able to manage our soil and rangeland resources in a way that increases our production and self-sufficiency rate from barely 40 to 50 percent and at the same time provide income opportunities for Norwegian farmers on a par with other groups in society. This is of course connected.

Without people to work the land, there will be little food production.

But as long as Norwegian farmers are and must be self-employed, this of course does not mean that everyone who produces food is guaranteed an income from the state or a return on the capital invested. Some are skilled and earn well, others are less skilled and earn accordingly. Just as each of us must take responsibility for what we spend on houses, cars, boats and stocks, Norwegian farmers must take responsibility for their own investments and choice of production.

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– Disturbing

From my perspective, it is therefore disconcerting that when a Norwegian government for the first time in 50(!) years presented a plan for increased production and significantly increased profitability for the individual, the result was a battle about technical calculation methods that few actually relate to rather than a collection around stated ambitious goals and an opportunity for broad political grounding. Few industries are as dependent on long-term political framework conditions as agriculture.

What we got instead was a display of lack of leadership from the presumably adults in the room.

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A small disaster

My own professional association, the Farmers’ Association, has received approval for just about everything they asked for in the Government’s proposal.

Nevertheless, they stood on Løvebakken in silent protest while the Småbrukarlaget ran the race. My own party did not have the stamina to stand by the agreement from the industry committee and thus lost the opportunity for broad political grounding for important goals in agricultural policy.

For those who believe that the path to a better agricultural policy and increased profitability for farmers is through protest and active struggle against their best friends in the Storting and in government, last week must be seen as a success.

For the rest of us, it’s a minor disaster.

In any case, we get a conclusion in the annual settlements, which is where the framework for Norwegian food production is laid and adopted.