The lack of, among other things, eggs and milk in Norway is the topic of the Debate. Norway must import German milk powder and eggs from abroad. Egg farmer Halvor Sveen believes this is due to a failed policy, with too little emphasis on self-sufficiency, and prices that make it impossible for the farmer to survive. Farmers’ actions have paralyzed areas in the Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany in recent weeks. Now Sveen is warning of a similar uprising in Norway. – I have received many inquiries from frustrated farmers. A few years ago there were 15,000-20,000 who demonstrated against wolves. I will be able to collect 5,000 tractors quite quickly, says the heathmarkingen. – It is much easier to paralyze Norway than Germany, he claims. – The slaves of our time The farm winner from 2017 with the nickname “Bjørnen fra Østerdalen” roars: – The farmer today is the slave of our time. Eggebond has around 7,500 hens in Rendalen. Sveen thinks the Farmers’ Association is too kind. They are not the ones he goes to if he wants to take action. He still believes he has enough people who will line up with the tractor, as farmers around Europe have blocked major access roads. – I understand that many people feel that the producer economy is now quite tight, says Ole Nikolai Skulberg, director, Nortura Totalmarked. He does not want to comment on the threat of action. Nortura is owned by the farmers and Nortura produces eggs. But they are also market regulators. This means that Nortura decides how many eggs will be produced during a year in Norway. – Isn’t it strange that we have a shortage of eggs at the same time as the egg farmers are struggling? – Nortura has the opportunity to set the prices for eggs twice a year. When the prices were set in October, they increased by 40 øre. I cannot comment on what the board of Nortura will do in May, replies Skulberg. French farmers protest on the A6 motorway south of Paris. Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP Sveen says the farmer’s expenses are increasing much more than income. He illustrates how the price has developed: – In 1980, Norwegian farmers received NOK 10-11.25 per kilogram of egg mass. Today we get NOK 19–21. If we had followed inflation, we should have received NOK 40-45 by now. Halvor Sveen says the prices the farmers must not follow the price increase. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Miscalculation Nortura’s forecasts for 2024 show an import need of 1,900 tonnes. This makes up 1.5 percent of the total egg requirement. Nortura’s explanation is, among other things, a large disease outbreak in Sweden and Europe. This means that Norway has imported fewer eggs than usual for the industry. The weak krone exchange rate also means that several players buy more Norwegian eggs than normal. – The authority has opened up the import of eggs and egg mass, which means that we can release more Norwegian eggs. It is also expected that production will increase by 0.6 per cent in 2024. One measure is that the hens can lay eggs a little longer than normal, says Ole Skulberg in Nortura. – It doesn’t seem like you are worried? – In some stores it can be a bit slow, but if you look at the year as a whole, there is no major shortage of eggs, answers Skulberg.
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Warns of actions if farmers are not paid better – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
