On 1 July, food prices in Norway will be raised. Then the grocery stores have the opportunity to change the prices based, among other things, on the result of the agricultural settlement. There is still no agreement on the agreement in the Storting. On Wednesday, SV said no to the agreement. The Conservatives will not support part of this year’s agreement between the farmers and the state, which proposes that 1.2 billion of the settlement will be taken out in increased food prices this year. – We are to compensate the farmers for the income shortage. Everything they also depend on has become more expensive. But this year is not the year to give farmers an extraordinarily large wage increase that ordinary people have to pay through more expensive food in the store, says deputy Tina Bru. Can save 700 kroner Together with agricultural policy spokesperson Lene Westgaard-Halle, Bru has calculated how food prices can be slowed down. They will cut 1 billion in the settlement this year, and take it from the price increase that is planned for consumers. – What we are doing now is reducing the target price to reduce the expenses for the families, says Westgaard-Halle. The Conservatives estimate that the proposal will save a typical family NOK 700 in increased food expenses next year. If they do not get a majority in the Storting before the summer, they will vote in favor of the government’s proposal. – This is just about the part that adds up to increased food prices, and that part we believe must be curbed, she says. The Liberal Party and KrF have also announced that they will vote in favor of the government’s proposal in the alternative. This means that the parties first vote for their own proposals, even though these do not get a majority, but then contribute to giving another proposal a majority. The Ministry of Agriculture has not been available for interview. – Difficult to understand – It is a bit difficult to understand the rationale for this proposal. Norway has significantly lower price growth for food than Europe in general, says agricultural researcher Ivar Pettersen in Alo-Analyze about the Conservatives’ proposal. Researcher Ivar Pettersen in Alo-Analysis. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news He points out that prices are rising sharply abroad. The UN food index is 23 percent higher than a year ago, while Pettersen believes prices in Norway will rise between 4 and 6 percent. – We now see that international price effects and changes affect the Norwegian market, and override Norwegian pricing policy. We can not expect that we will have cheaper potatoes in Norway than what farmers can get if they export to Europe, he says. – Norwegians pay it pretty much the same when food prices fall internationally. Why can we not enjoy the Norwegian model now that prices are rising abroad? – It is a notion that we in almost the richest countries in the world should eat cheap food, while food is a more current shortage around the world. I do not understand the moral of it, and we are actually also in a situation where we can not count on us to control development in that way, says Pettersen. In any case, food prices are expected to rise on 1 July, because a number of factors such as wage increases, more expensive shipping, packaging and imported raw materials are raising costs in the food value chain.
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The Conservatives will take 1 billion from the farmers – will instead give 700 kroner in food discount – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
