Historical background
Ministry of Agriculture 100 years in 2000
On 1 April 1900, Ole Anton Qvam took office as the first
minister to head the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture. To end a long
period (beginning 1814) of responsibilities for agricultural affairs being
shared among different ministries and directorates, the Norwegian Parliament
(the Storting) on 14 December 1899 decided to establish a separate Ministry of
Agriculture. The first budget of the Ministry totalled NOK 47,700 - with staff
at the start numbering 23. A separate Ministry of Agriculture was set up for
several reasons; apart from a steadily growing work-load, the probably most
important reason was dissatisfaction among parliament members about the way
agricultural affairs were being dealt with by the then administration. And, not
least, the strong need to politically manage the modernization of the
traditional agriculture of the period.
From the very day the Ministry of Agriculture was launched,
its responsibilities were far-reaching; encompassing besides pure agricultural
affairs also forestry, veterinary affairs, and agricultural schools.
Throughout the Ministry's more than one hundred years of
existence, its responsibilities have undergone changes. It has been closely
associated with the emergence of regional issues in national politics, and the
importance given to environmental protection. Spurred on by the developments of
the 1990s, the Ministry - previously essentially handling trade and industry
affairs - now appears as a ministry placing its consumer policies on a par with
those for trade and industry.
The Ministry has been headed by persons that held prominent
positions in national politics, with on two occasions the Prime Minister also
being a former Minister of Agriculture; Gunnar Knudsen (Socialist Left Party)
(1913-1920) and Jens Hundseid (Centre Party) (1932-1933). Johan Nygaardsvold
(Labour Party), a Minister of Agriculture in 1928, became Prime Minister in
1935.
The administrative responsibilities of the Ministry of
Agriculture are broad-based and public-orientated, and are divided into five
sectors of activity:
- food quality, animal health, and plant health
- research and development
- administration of government landed property
- development of trade/industry, and the environment (within
agriculture, forestry, reindeer-keeping, and new trades/industries)
- agricultural administration
Currently, about 180 persons are employed at the Ministry,
which operates on a 2005-budget fixed at NOK 13.7 billions - including NOK 11
billions to 2005, aimed at economic agreements with the agricultural and
reindeer-keeping sectors.
7. apr. 2005
