The red fox houses up on the hillside at Sandane in Nordfjord are empty. They have been doing that for a long time. In 2021, the Storting decided that the breeding of fur animals will be banned from 2025. The 38-year-old in Nordfjord is ready to remove traces of fur animal keeping and rather build a new sheep barn. But then he needs money. – I have not received a single kroner. It’s very slow, and it’s frustrating. We are promised money on the books, but then it is pushed to next month, and then the next month again, says Hans Arne Lundestad. Wants to develop the gardens He is one of 268 farmers who have submitted claims for compensation for investments and adjustments they made to adapt to new requirements in the industry. As compensation for quitting, they were promised a quick compensation settlement. When the last fur farmer in the country shut down in January this year, only five fur breeders had received compensation. In Gloppen, several have waited for four years without knowing what they have to deal with. One of them is Dan Ole Alme. He first described his situation to the newspaper Firda Tidend. – It is terrible. We live in uncertainty, and wonder whether you will end up as a debt slave, or whether you can get on and function in society, says Dan Ole Alme. Dan Ole Alme has received an advance on the compensation, but it was nowhere near what he had imagined. He knows little about the final settlement. Photo: Bård Siem / news One billion kroner has so far been paid out from the Directorate of Agriculture, but most of it has been advanced for final settlement. So they don’t know how much money each individual gets. Everyone wants progress The industry has been controversial for a long time, and criticized for poor animal welfare. There has also been a problem with carrying out valuations of the gardens. The left was the driving force behind the decision that the Storting finally agreed on in 2019. A correct decision, says Storting representative Ola Elvestuen today, but add that the payments are too late. – A compensation scheme was put in place quite quickly, but it has since been improved several times. That’s what the Left has been for. Now we can only put pressure on the government so that they get the payments in place. The Christian People’s Party was against shutting down the industry. For Olaug Bollestad, who was then Minister of Agriculture, it was a demanding matter. Fur farmers still contact ho. – It is sad and painful that many people have unresolved lives. Now I expect those who criticized us to deliver so that people get what they need. Ola Elvestuen and Venstre were among the most eager to have the fur industry discontinued when they were in government. Now he hopes the farmers will soon be paid the compensation. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten Asking own government to clean up Now the government is also getting rice from its own ranks. Center party mayors in Gloppen, where both Lundestad and Alme live, are not gracious in their criticism. – I think it is starting to become shameful that today’s government has not been able to solve this. It is an incredibly demanding situation for farmers. They wait and wait and wait. It is just a message to the government. Fix it, says Gloppestad. Agriculture and Food Minister Sandra Borch (Sp) is clear that they will prioritize getting compensation cases to a conclusion. The Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture is working with everyone, and all rates must be delivered during the autumn. – This has been a year-long process, and started with the previous government going in for a trade ban. They did this overnight, and without sufficient will and ability to make amends afterwards, says Sandra Borch. At the mountain guard in Gloppen, Hans Arne Lundestad is still waiting. He hopes for 2 million, but does not know. – I want to demolish everything and build a new sheepfold. Last time they said the money would arrive in August, but there is no way to know. It has been a push since April.
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The fur industry that has to shut down is waiting for compensation from the state in the fourth year – news Vestland
