– Our choice to change the type of chicken was a value choice, says CEO of Reitan Retail, Ole Robert Reitan. The Reitangruppen operates, among others, Rema 1000, Narvesen and 7-Eleven in Norway. The answer comes after director Kjell Rakkenes of Nortura went out in Nationen on Friday to say that they will set an end date for production of the Ross 308 chicken type. 70 percent of the chicken sold in Norwegian stores is of this breed and it is highly debated. At the same time, the sting came against the Reitan family. – Weak economy in agriculture makes the transition a dilemma and a headache for farmers. Norwegian farmers do not all have their own rich uncle from Trøndelag who can finance this. We must create a model that gives the farmer security, the hen good welfare and the consumer good chicken, Rakkenes told Nationen. Reitan-owned Norsk Kylling at Orkanger in Trøndelag produces Hubbard chicken, which is a slower-growing breed. Criticism after SVT documentary The goal of an end date for Ross 308 comes after SVT’s documentary which shows appalling conditions in several chicken barns in Sweden. But Reitan thinks the Nortura director misses the point. – If we look at the entire value chain as a whole, we see that better animal welfare does not need to be more expensive. Yes, some parts of the value chain cost more since the animals live about 40 percent longer, but other parts of the value chain become more affordable. Just consider that we need 3 million fewer chickens to produce the same volume as before. Coming back with a sting Reitan says he is happy that Nortura will change the type of chicken, but chooses to send a sting back. – I note that they do not want to say anything about when they will actually change. As long as they continue with the same type as they have now, they are exposed to the problem that the SVT documentary raises, because it is not possible to solve the underlying problems that the Swedish documentary points to without changing the type of chicken. Reitan says the documentary made him sad. – At the same time, I think it is good that this is coming to light and that the debate is being raised. We switched to slow-growing chicken in 2018. For us it was a value choice, and for me personally it was about being able to sleep well at night. Photo: Nortura – Can’t set an end date Kjell Rakkenes replies to news that the meaning of the statement was to show that it is important that they get everyone on board with the major restructuring so that they take care of farmers’ finances in a good way. – The intention was not to point to anyone specific, but I understand that it can be perceived that way. Nortura has also produced slow-growing chicken for the restaurant industry, and believes they have enough knowledge to say that it will cost money to change. At the same time, I think it is important that it happens. But to set an end date, he does not want. – We cannot set an end date now. We must ensure that we secure the farmer’s finances, that we take into account that production capacity must be expanded on the farms, our customers must be given the opportunity to adapt. It is also a reality that the spread of slower-growing chickens is low globally, and it will therefore take time to buy enough hatching eggs from the breeding companies.
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Was called rich uncle by the Nortura director – now Reitan answers about chicken – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
