– We simply cannot get on in life. The uncertainty is absolutely enormous, and it is absolutely terrible. I’m almost in tears. We started to see the light in the tunnel, but now it has been turned off again, says fur farmer Terje Øvrebø. He is one of several fur farmers who have not received compensation after a majority in the Storting in 2019 decided to wind down the fur industry. Øvrebø recently had his farm appraised, and he then began to look back on life. But today he received the counter-notice: The assessment is no longer valid, and postponed indefinitely. – It is deeply depressing to have to wait, says Øvrebø. He had big plans to go ahead with a new industry, but has had to wave goodbye to several opportunities due to poor finances. Fur farmer Terje Øvrebø says that he will not move on in life until he has received the compensation that the government has promised. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Borch: – A boring situation – A very boring situation has arisen when it comes to the valuation of the fur farms. I would have liked to have been without it, writes Agriculture and Food Minister Sandra Borch, in a press release. On Thursday evening, she had an emergency meeting with the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture and the Norwegian Fur Animal Association. The topic of the meeting has been that the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture has stopped the assessment of fur farms under the auspices of the Norwegian Agricultural Assessment, and thus also the payments. – I am concerned that the rates should be correct so that the breeders receive a correct settlement in line with the Storting’s decision, and I am concerned that there should not be any unnecessary delays due to the situation that has arisen, writes Borch. The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Sandra Borch, has had a meeting with the fur industry this evening to brief them on the situation. Photo: Dan Henrik Klausen Norsk Landbrukstakst SA won the job of valuing the facilities through a tender, but now the directorate believes that there are deficiencies in the basic material used in the tariffs that have been prepared. – We are in dialogue with the directorate about the agreement, writes Lisa Salin Brøndbo, organizational manager at Norsk Landbrukstakst in an e-mail to news on Thursday evening. In the past year, just under 300 farmers have been waiting to receive an offer of compensation, and they are still waiting. Borch believes it is important and correct that the directorate now pays an advance on the compensation based on the calculated use value of the facilities. – I am concerned that it happens as quickly as possible, said Agriculture and Food Minister Sandra Borch at the meeting. Øvrebø believes that it will come too late. – It was written to us early this week that by the end of November we should receive an offer for a temporary value-in-use calculation. It is almost two months late compared to what they originally promised. Then we get a little, but it is only a fraction of the rate, so to speak, says Øvrebø. At the end of September, the Center Party came out and said that the offers would come. The Directorate of Agriculture informs news on Thursday evening that they do not wish to comment on the case. – Appears very strange. It was at the beginning of the week that the farmers received a letter stating that all assessment of the fur farms has been stopped. So far, five creators have received compensation. Jan Ove Horpestad, who is the leader of the Rogaland Pelsdyralslag, says he finds it difficult to understand that the assessment that Norsk Landbrukstakst SA was undertaking is not good enough. – They are authorized by the state to carry out the work, where they have won a tender out of six companies to carry out the work, and suddenly they are not good enough. It appears very strange, says Horpestad. Leader of the Rogaland Pelsdyralslaget, Jan Ove Horpestad, describes the situation as frustrating and despairing. Photo: Hanne Høyland / news He describes the situation as despairing and frustrating. – We had hoped that the fur animal case was now back on track, and that the train started to move slowly but surely towards its destination. But now we have to go towards another Christmas and New Year in uncertainty as to what the compensation will bring us, he says. The Ministry of Agriculture writes on its website that it will invite the Norwegian Fur Animal Association to a meeting at administrative level next week about measures that can remedy the situation that has arisen.
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– I’m almost in tears – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
