Most Norwegians do not want to eat Norwegian sheep meat. Now the meat “nobody” wants can be sent far off guard. 800 miles to the tiny oil state of Oman. Fresh forecasts from the market regulator Nortura Totalmarknad show that there are 500 tonnes of sheep meat in stock and that this will grow to 1,500 by the turn of the year. Director Ole Skulberg in Nortura Totalmarknad says exports can solve the market situation for sheep meat. Photo: Tore Tollersrud / news – We could sell a little more lamb, but we have too much mutton. If someone wants to export sheep meat, they are welcome to do so, says director of Nortura Totalmarknad, Ole Skulberg. – Must be the last resort The sheep feed themselves well from the green autumn pasture at Jølstravatnet in Vestland. Sheep farmer Ragnhild Sæle is satisfied that she has brought down most of the animals from mountain pastures. As leader of the professional organization Sogn og Fjordane sheep and goats, Sæle has for a number of years worked for the interests of the sheep farmers. Now she is upset that large quantities of mutton can be sold cheaply out of the country. Today, farmers receive between NOK 12 and 15 per kilo for sheep meat. The retail price is many times that. Sheep farmer Ragnhild Sæle is critical that her sheep could end up in the Middle East. Photo: Bård Siem Ho reacts to meat from her sheep being sent all the way to Oman in the Middle East. A journey of 800 miles. – It must be the last resort that we send full quality meat out of the country. After all, it is part of our preparedness, says Sæle. She is disappointed with the shops and chains that only take in lamb meat and not sheep. – There are many people who ask for mature sheep and whole sheep slaughter, but it is not possible to get them. It is a defeat that we are not able to use it ourselves, she says. Communications manager at Norgesgruppen, Kine Søyland, rejects the criticism. – We experience very few initiatives and generally weak interest from the meat industry and brand suppliers in sheep meat. We cannot have in our assortment things that the consumer does not ask for, she says. At the same time, she adds that the Norgesgruppen has a few products from mature sheep in certain periods of the year We should eat up the sheep meat ourselves At the Spar store in Sande in Sunnfjord, customer Stein Petter Furset is surprised that we have to export sheep meat to get rid of it. – It’s stupid that we can’t eat the sheep meat we produce ourselves. We must take care of the Norwegian farmers, he says. Stein Petter Furset at the Spar store in Sande in Sunnfjord thinks it is stupid that Norwegian sheepmeat has to be shipped all the way to the Middle East. Photo: Astrid Korsvoll Furset himself is most fond of pork, but he eats both lamb and mutton. Since Oman is a Muslim country, a religious ritual must be followed during the slaughter. This is called halal slaughter, which Norwegian slaughterhouses must carry out before the carcasses can be sent to the Middle East. – Halal slaughter at Nortura is done by competent Muslim butchers who read a prayer before the slaughter process begins. All animals are stunned before they are killed, says John Trygve Tollefsen in Nortura. Halal meat Halal slaughtering at Norwegian slaughterhouses is an adapted variant where consideration is given to both the Muslim religion and Norwegian animal welfare. Norwegian authorities require the animal to be stunned using an approved method, before it is stabbed in the throat and vomits. Muslim communities are allowed to use their own competent persons, who carry out the bleeding themselves. Source: The Norwegian Food Safety Authority Imports lamb from Iceland Most Norwegians do not want sheep meat because they think it is too tough and fatty. They would rather have lean lamb, of which there is too little and which we have to import. Most of it comes from Iceland. It is the farmer-owned company Noridane that works with the export of sheep meat. Five years ago, the company sold 500 tonnes of sheep meat to Oman. The company Noridane wishes to export 500 tonnes of sheep meat to Oman. Photo: Ådne Dyrnesli In the past, sheep meat has also been exported to Afghanistan. According to the managing director of Noridane, Martin Ravn, the plan is to export 500 tonnes of sheep meat to Oman. – We usually get paid far less for mutton than lamb, but in Oman mutton is very popular. It will be export on commercial terms, he says. In the coming weeks, it will be decided whether there will be any of the export plans. It all depends on whether they get the price they want. Sheep meat will pile up in storage in Norway if the planned export fails. Published 16.09.2024, at 16.38
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Norwegian sheepmeat that Norwegians do not want can be exported to Oman in the Middle East – news Vestland
