– What should I answer to all the young people who ask me if it is safe to become a farmer? Is it safe to spend my life producing food for others? Is it safe to be part of this plan, this system, introduced Tor Jakob Solberg, leader of the Norwegian Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association, in his speech when the farmers’ organizations presented the demands for this year’s agricultural settlement on Friday.
– We are over the worst cost peak
The billion demand the farmers handed over to the State in this year’s agricultural negotiations is very high, says negotiation leader Viil Søyland
– After several years of extraordinary cost development, we now see that we are over the worst cost peak. This provides a basis for a clearly lower frame than what we have seen in recent years. Against this background, the claim that agriculture has put forward is very high, said Søyland when she commented on the claim of NOK 3.9 billion in this year’s agricultural settlement.
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– Both the size of the framework and the extent of difficult topics mean that these will be demanding negotiations, she said.
– I don’t know if there is a future
According to the Norwegian Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association, the next three years will be defining for a whole generation of farmers who will do what he believes is the most important job that happens in a country – producing food.
– To the young people, after the last week’s experiences, I have come to the conclusion that: I really don’t know. I don’t know if there is a future for this generation, says Solberg.
The farmers’ goal is to do the best in the world, he emphasizes.
– We can and we will become the societal solution in so many areas, preparedness, health, climate, justice, the list could be much longer. We need system change and reform. It is fundamental that we manage to reverse the development so that we get a more nature-positive agriculture.
