Norwegian government to tackle meat tariffs
Having replaced the protectionist former prime minister Jens Stoltenberg’s socialist administration in October, the new Høyre (the Conservative Party) and Fremskrittspartiet (the Progress Party) government said it wanted to improve trade relations with the EU. This would include rolling back duties imposed in January of 429% on lamb, 344% on beef and a high but variable rate on pork.
The opposition Venstre (Social Liberal) party said it would try to forge an alliance of like-minded parties to block liberalisation. And Nils Bjørke, director of Norges Bondelag (The Norwegian Farmers Union), which represents around 70,000 Norwegian farms including many livestock producers, said: “The government is now running errands for EU industry policy instead of preserving Norwegian interests. The EU has its own interests and I expected the government to stand up for ours,” he told globalmeatnews.com.
The row was sparked by a pledge from European relations minister Vidar Helgesen, who said the government is ready to roll-back meat tariffs, following an EEA (European Economic Area) council meeting in Brussels – the EEA links Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to the EU in a wide-variety of policy areas.
Helgesen said Norway was prepared to take a “fresh look” at its protectionist policies, which have soured Norway-EU relations.
“We recognise that tariffs are important for the profitability of Norwegian agriculture, but reduced tariffs would not alone benefit competition, but also consumers and the food industry as a whole. The food industry, including the meat sector, could benefit significantly from more competition on quality from other countries. That is our starting position,” Helgesen told the Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, on 21 November, later.
Norway’s changed strategy on meat tariffs was welcomed by the EU. “We are seeing a more positive and open approach by Norway to its trade and political relations with the EU. The signals are good, but the changes will not happen overnight. The government will need to confront domestic opposition, and this will influence how quickly change can happen,” said Linas Linkevičius, Lithuania’s foreign minister. Lithuania currently holds the EU Council of Ministers presidency.
Pål Farstad, Venstre’s economic policy spokesperson, said protests would be robust: “None of the opposition parties was consulted before the Brussels visit by Helgesen. The government needs to be careful. It cannot take a parliamentary majority on this issue for granted. We opposed the food tariff when it was implemented. We said that the meat industry especially needed more competition. But what is done is done. Industry needs predictability, and the government cannot just roll-back the tariff now.”
