Livestock
The rearing of livestock is the most important form of production in Norwegian agriculture when measured in terms of value generation and employment. In Norway, there are over 800,000 cattle, over one million sheep, over 1.5 million fattening pigs, over 4 million hens and over 62 million chickens. There are also other farm animals such as deer, llamas, goats, rabbits, minks, foxes, ducks, geese and turkeys.
Livestock production can be split into two main types:
- Fodder-based production, such as milk production (cows and goats) and meat production (cows, sheep and goats), which primarily puts local land resources to use in food production and helps to maintain the cultural landscape through grazing and haying.
- Concentrate-necessitating production, such as pig and poultry production.
Livestock concessions
Husdyrkonsesjonsordningen, the livestock concessions scheme, governs the rearing of concentrate-based livestock and applies to all pig and poultry production. These livestock concessions ensure that pig and poultry production is spread over as many farms as possible, and they limit how many pigs and poultry a single farm can have. Farmers who would like to produce more must apply for a concession to increase production.
Use the form to the right when applying for a livestock concession and send your application to the municipality concerned. The municipality will make a statement on the application and send it on to the County Governor, who will process the application and come to a decision on it. The Norwegian Agriculture Agency is the administrative appeals body, but the appeal should nevertheless be sent to the County Governor.
Compensation schemes and funding
The County Governor is responsible for compensation schemes relating to livestock production; funding for preventive measures against damage caused by large predators and measures to reduce conflicts; and compensation for loss of livestock and domestic reindeer to large predators.
Municipalities handle applications for funding, undertake sample controls in farms and offer guidance to farmers. The County Governor co-ordinates and provides advice to the municipalities. The Norwegian Agriculture Agency is responsible for the main payments made to farmers.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is responsible for animal health and food control. The Norwegian Agriculture Agency is responsible for the quota scheme for milk.