“When I saw that Terje Lien Aasland, my good colleague in the business committee, had taken part in a Noah event, against fur animals, I became furious, jumping angry”, said Center Party’s Geir Pollestad in the podcast “Stortingsgarasjen” in 2018. Noah is an organization who fight for animal rights, and have been opposed to farmers running fur farms. Pollestad, on the other hand, has had it at heart that fur farming should not be banned, and would also like Norwegians to eat more meat. That’s why he disliked that his colleague was at the Noah event: “So for me it was a bit, my father, do you stand up and legitimize that gang here. I had little sense of that. I gave notice of that,” continued Sp-toppen, who admitted that he had a “little difficulty” with Noah. Zeroed out state aid last year And he is not alone in that in the Center Party. Because in 2023, the then Minister of Agriculture, Sandra Borch, refused to let Noah down: She simply robbed the organization of state support. That made Noah bristle. And when Pollestad took over as Minister of Agriculture, Noah asked that his competence be assessed in connection with new budget rounds on support for organisations. – Repeatedly, Pollestad has expressed that he has a personal commitment to weaken Noah – especially because of our work for the animals in the meat industry, says the letter of complaint that the organization sent in October last year. “A certain reluctance” It is the lawyers in the Ministry of Justice’s legal department who assess the competence of the ministers. Almost a year after the letter from Noah, the decision has been reached: Pollestad is not disqualified. The legal department believes that much needs to be done before a particular involvement in a case can lead to disqualification. “A certain personal reluctance is not considered sufficient,” the assessment states, among other things. At the same time, the legal department states that Pollestad can be perceived in the podcast as having “a certain dislike for the organisation”. And then the minister receives what may appear to be a small podcast smack from the bureaucrats. They write straight out that the statements in isolation “can be perceived as having a somewhat inappropriate character”. Agriculture and Food Minister Geir Pollestad himself says the legal department confirms the assessment he himself has made about his own competence. – It is important that the threshold for being incompetent as a politician, as a result of having had opinions, is high. Opinions are an important part of being a politician, says Pollestad to news. SUPPORT CUT: Agriculture Minister Sandra Borch (Sp) removed state support for Noah before Geir Pollestad (Sp) took over the ministry. Photo: NTB Perserkatten Lars – Do you agree with the legal department that your statements had a “somewhat inappropriate” feel? – I am thrilled that Noah listened to the podcast “Stortinggarasjen”. I have great respect for the legal department’s assessments, but would claim that “fresh statements” are more comprehensive, says the minister, and continues: – It is something quite special to see fresh statements in a podcast reproduced five years later in writing in a letter from the Ministry of Justice’s legal department . – Is it correctly understood that you “have a certain dislike for Noah”? – My reluctance goes to their positions. We have very different views on, for example, livestock and hunting. COLLEAGUES: SPs Geir Pollestad (tv) and Terje Aasland (Ap) together outside the Storting when in 2021 it was agreed on support for fur farmers who had to wind down their business. Photo: NTB – Are you still mad at Terje Aasland? – Terje is a good colleague with whom I have always, with one day’s stay five years ago, had a good relationship. I, unlike Noah, had forgotten this episode. – Are you looking forward to giving Noah back the state aid in next year’s budget? – The budget comes in October, and Noah, like everyone else, has to apply plenty of patience. – What is the nicest thing you can say about Noah? – They contribute to debates and always disagree. Even when I have positions that are impossible to disagree with. – Do you often think about Noah before you go to bed? – No, but it happens when I sit and comb my Persian cat Lars that I think that Noah should have seen this. NOAH LEADER: Siri Martinsen. “Very critical” Noah leader Siri Martinsen explains that the complaint from the organization was primarily about Pollestad’s integrity towards the chicken industry, but also about animal welfare more generally. The backdrop is that, according to Martinsen, Pollestad has “spoken very inappropriately about Noah”. – As a representative of Sp, Pollestad has distinguished himself as a spokesperson primarily for industries that exploit animals, and with little interest in improvements for animal welfare, she says to news. – An important example is the minister’s reversal in the matter of daily exercise for cows: Daily exercise was a compromise because demands for the discontinuation of stall operations were postponed. But when the rule change is due to come into force, the industry protests, and Pollestad dances to their tune immediately and reverses animal welfare requirements, says Martinsen. – Since Pollestad continuously chooses commercial interests before the animals, Noah is very critical of the Minister of Agriculture. Published 02.09.2024, at 08.46
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Not ineligible for state aid – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
