It has been exactly seven months since we stood in the empty mink house of former mink farmer, Jan Ove Horpestad. – Very little has happened since last time, says Horpestad, who is also the leader of Rogaland fur animal association. He is supported by former fur farmer Kjell Hodne. – It is incredibly disappointing of the bureaucracy in the Ministry of Agriculture. That they are not able to do anything about this case, says Hodne. In March, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Sandra Borch, visited a large agricultural meeting at Varhaug, where it was promised that the compensation would come quickly, according to the fur animal team. It ignited a hope among the fur farmers. – The process is probably heavy and extensive, so as of today we are almost at the place of rest, where we were in January, says Horpestad. One and a half years ago, he quit as a fur farmer. All that is left is an empty mink house. EMPTY: Horpestad avoids the empty mink house, it evokes too many emotions. Photo: Hanne Høyland / news On 14 January 2018, it became known that the Solberg government wanted to close down the fur industry. The liquidation was long disputed, but was finally approved by the Storting in June 2019. By February 2025, it will be completely empty of fur farms in Norway. Now the fur farmers are calling for the compensation they have been promised by the government. Receive compensation at 2018 level A major concern is that the compensation will be calculated on the basis of 2018 rates. The price increase that society is now affected by scares Horpestad. – It is starting to go hard beyond the economy. We are affected by diesel and electricity prices and have soon been five years without income. This is hard enough for those who have income. The compensation has been hotly debated. Last spring, the majority of the political parties landed on a package of approximately NOK 3.4 billion. – The compensation we receive is not worth as much as it was in 2018. If we could only get started right away, he says. Jan Ove Horpestad, leader of the Rogaland fur animal team. Photo: Hanne Høyland / news It should be mentioned that several fur farmers have retrained, Horpestad works as a pest technician and Hodne has become a chicken farmer, but this is not the case for everyone. In addition, many of the fur farmers have problems getting loans to invest in other industries, and many are struggling mentally due to this strain. Understanding the frustration The Center Party’s (Sp) fiscal policy spokesman, Geir Pollestad, on the other hand, emphasizes that a lot has happened since the last time news met the farmers. – Many have already applied for compensation, and we are currently in the process of assessing the properties, so this goes hand in hand, says Pollestad. Geir Pollestad also met the farmers in the empty mink house in January. Photo: Hanne Høyland / news He understands well that the farmers are impatient, after all they have been through, and promises that they work as fast as they can. – Most cases should and must be landed during this year, he says. Yet he will not promise anything, in danger of giving people in a difficult situation false hopes. Sp can also not promise that the tariffs will be adjusted up to the 2022 level. – No special changes have been made as a result of what has happened recently, so it is one thing to consider when the state measures its offer, he says. Do you think this has gone fast enough? – It may well be that it could have been done a few months faster, but remember we have left behind a period of three lost years, where nothing had been done to put in place a replacement for the fur farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has laid down new regulations on special compensation schemes following the winding up of the fur industry. The new regulations briefly extend the right to compensation for demolition and clean-up. In an e-mail to news, the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture writes that they plan for the state to make an offer within six months after the demand has been received from the individual fur farmer. Valuation with value basis from January 2018 will be part of the basis for being able to provide the right offer. The assessment starts after the summer according to Pollestad.
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Fur farmers are still waiting for the billion compensation they should receive – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
