The Ministry of Agriculture and Food
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food is responsible
for food and agricultural policymaking. The food policy aims to provide
consumers with wholesome, high quality food products, and to ensure that the
food production process is carried out with environmental, public health and
animal welfare concerns in mind.
The Ministry of Agriculture shares responsibility for
shaping the food policy and for management of foodstuffs from production until
delivery to the consumer with the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of
Health. The Government has initiated an extensive programme to simplify and
improve the statutory framework and its supervision. A clarification of the
division of responsibilities between the three ministries is also underway.
The Agricultural Agreement covers land administration,
agriculture and forestry, animal husbandry, reindeer husbandry and the
development of new agriculture-based ventures. The Agricultural Agreement aims
to safeguard agricultural resources, develop the knowledge base and make a
national contribution to creating value and employment in the areas of
agriculture and agricultural products.
The key external conditions affecting food and
agricultural policy are general economic policies, the market, trade policies
resulting from the World Trade Agreement and the European Economic Area
Agreement, and Parliament’s handling of White paper. No. 40 (1996-97), White paper. No. 17 (1998-99), White paper. No. 19 (1999-2000), Parliamentary Bill. No. 1 (2000-2001), Parliamentary Bill. No. 70 (2000-2001) and Parliamentary Bill. No. 92 (2000-2001).
The food and agricultural policy is founded on two
fundamental conditions:
- A consumer focus for all activities within the
Ministry of Agriculture’s areas of administrative responsibility.
- An efficient and forward-looking business development
policy that harmonises social and commercial interests.
The Ministry’s departments
The Ministry of Agriculture is divided into four
departments:
- Department of Administrative and Economic Affairs
- Department of Forest- and Natural Resource Policy
- Department of Food Policy
- Department of Agricultural Policy
- Department of Research,
Innovation and Regional Policy
The Communications Unit is directly responsible to the secretary
general.
Approximately 190 staff work in the main agricultural
administration sited at Regjeringskvartalet in Oslo. Prior to the establishment
of the Ministry of Agriculture on April 1. 1900, agricultural matters came
under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The number of departments and offices
has since fluctuated considerably.
The main objective of the most recent changes has been to
clarify the division of tasks within agricultural administration. This allows
the Department to concentrate on the key political tasks, whilst general
administration and specialist services are largely taken care of by support
departments and institutions.
The Agricultural Agreement and the Reindeer Husbandry
Agreement
The Department is responsible for the implementation of the
Agricultural Agreement and the Reindeer Husbandry Agreement, and all related
economic measures. Parties to the annual
negotiations in the agricultural sector are the state, the Norwegian Farmers'
Union and the Norwegian Farmers' and Smallholders' Union. Negotiations related
to reindeer husbandry are conducted with the Saami Reindeer Herders'
Association of Norway.
Important instruments
The
ministry is also responsible for preparing and ensuring compliance with
regulations and guidelines in accordance with adopted legislation and political
decisions. This is often carried out in cooperation with other ministries and
the agricultural employers' and employees' organizations.
Some of the most important Acts related to
agriculture are:
- The Land Act
- The act relating to allodial rights
- The Concession Act
- The Land Consolidation Act
- The Forestry Act
- The act relating to the marketing of agricultural
products
- The act relating to regulation of occupational animal
husbandry
Last update 13.02.2006
