Agriculture goes to negotiations – Norwegian Farmers’ Association

The came out in a meeting between the parties this afternoon.

In the meeting did Agriculture’s negotiating committee makes it clear that they expect the government to show considerable willingness to negotiate in order to meet agriculture’s demands and priorities. With this as a starting point, Jordbruk’s negotiation committee enters into negotiations with the aim of finding constructive solutions.

The basis for negotiations is agriculture’s requirements and the state’s offer as a response to this. When the offer came on Monday 6 May, Bjørn Gimming, leader of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association and agriculture’s negotiating leader, commented that the offer provides a significantly lower level of income than agriculture’s requirements suggest. He further said that the offer only partly responds to the Storting’s recent marching order on increased self-sufficiency.

– We farmers will contribute to increasing self-sufficiency. Norwegian food production is an important part of the country’s total defence. It obliges all parties, said Gimming, and continued. – Many farmers are in a demanding economic situation. Therefore, it is necessary that the income gap be closed more quickly than what the government proposes in the offer. If we are to achieve the goals of increased self-sufficiency, the farmer’s income must increase, said Gimming.

The last 24 hours have The Norwegian Farmers’ Association and the Norwegian Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association’s negotiating committees have carefully reviewed the state’s offer.

Now there will be preliminary rounds with so-called procedures. Negotiations then await. By 16 May at the latest, it will be clear whether the negotiation result is good enough for an agricultural agreementor if there is a breach in the negotiations.