Subsidies for agriculture and forestry
The County Governor has responsibilities relating to the administration of a number of subsidy schemes for agriculture and forestry. The most important agricultural schemes concern production subsidies, grants for relief workers, and regional environmental grants. The main subsidy schemes in the forestry sector relate to grants to business development and environmental initiatives and the Forestry Trust Fund.
In general, the initial grant application should be submitted to the relevant municipality. Municipalities are responsible for providing farmers with information, processing applications and undertaking random sampling at farms.
The County Governor acts as the municipalities' coordinator and adviser. Responsibility for making large-scale grant payments lies with the Norwegian Agricultural Authority (NAA).
The County Governor provides guidance to municipalities concerning subsidy schemes and also handles appeals regarding municipal decisions. The County Governor may grant a dispensation, in which case the Norwegian Agricultural Authority (NAA) will deal with the appeal. The County Governor is also responsible for carrying out municipal management audits, as well as business audits at individual farms. These auditing activities are planned on an annual basis.
The County Governor also manages grants payments for business development in rural areas (BU grants). These grants are intended to assist with research and facilitate business development.