Tale ved åpningen av seminaret om fransk regional utvikling, tirsdag 19. oktober på den Norske Klubben i Paris

Ambassador, director general André Barbaroux, ladies and gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure for me once again to be back in France and Paris. Several delegations from our Ministry of Agriculture and Food have over the last years had a very warm welcome in France, and we appreciate the openness we have experienced among professionals and administration in French agriculture and food industry.

I have good memories of my visit in Paris and Normandy 2 years ago, and I was certainly convinced by how proud the farmers were not only in their own production on the farm, but also their concern for the quality of the final products that met the consumers.

There are some obvious differences between agriculture and the food industry in our two countries. We can just contemplate the differences created by nature. As in the southern part the climate is not so different from what can be found in some parts here in France, then agriculture above the Arctic Circle poses some extreme technical challenges. But even in France there are farms up in the mountains witch must survive a long winter with plenty of snow. And of course the numbers are quite different both in size and number of farms, and as cereal farms of many hundred hectares is quite common in this country, farms of this size is practical non existent in Norway.

But it is also interesting to see the similarities, not the least there are some important common points in the attitude towards agriculture and political standpoints. In both our countries the multifunctionality of agriculture is a word of honour. Agriculture is not only a machine for production of food.

These additional functions might include not only agriculture’s contribution to long-term food security, but also the viability of rural areas, cultural heritage, land conservation, the maintenance of agricultural landscapes and agro-biological diversity, and not to forget for the urban population to be able to find landscapes for relaxing as well as activities. The landscape is the attraction with steep mountains falling into the sea, but the landscape would not be the same without the farming communities set into the bottom of the fjord.

Agriculture that is run by economic principles only will necessarily end up wrong.

There is no doubt that Norwegian agriculture has a lot to learn from French agriculture, some competence has already been picked up, but there is no doubt that an exchange of competence could be beneficial. French agriculture has had an impressing success with food products with a high added value. The basis of this success is the labelling systems such as AOC, Label Rouge and organic agriculture. In France the consumers have confidence in products labelled with these official labels, and are willing to pay a high price for either an AOC Reblochon cheese or a Label Rouge chicken from Challans.

It is also important that a substantial part of the added value the consumer is willing to pay for such products, finds its way back to the pocket of the farmer. A large number of delegations from Norway, representing both the political and the administrative side from the ministry, and the parliament has visited French regions and central administration, and the lessons learnt has resulted in a Norwegian legislation and system for developing products with “beskyttede betegnelser”, a parallel to AOC and IGP in France.

Though this is EU legislation today, the lessons have to be learnt not in Brussels but out in the agriculture community, and Norway has learnt this lesson in France. So far 2 products are recognised in Norway, “Tjukkmelk fra Røros” and “Ringerikserter”, and 6 – 7 more are in the pipeline. “Tjukkmelk fra Røros” is acidified drinking milk with a thick, long consistence, ideal for a hot summer day. “Ringerikserter” are some small peas of varying colours, much favoured for traditional Norwegian dishes such as “Lutefisk”.

Without the lessons learnt in France and the good cooperation with INAO (The national institute for designation of origin) we would not have been on the fasttrack to develop such a number of agriculture products with a high added value. In this context we must not forget all the delegations of farmers, their organisations, the coops and all the other that has been met with open attitude to seek competence and inspiration from French agriculture, AOC and Label Rouge.

So far few French farmers and the administration has come to Norway to seek competence. We believe that we do have some strong points. In Norway we do have a good animal and plant health, and we have luckily avoided the major food crisis’s that has ridden Europe over the last decade. Maybe its not just pure luck, but also a result of the climatic and topographic conditions and quite heavy public investments in R&D over decades in the agricultural field.

Today we are back in France for another lesson to learn, and an exchange of knowledge and competence. An important platform for the ministry is the program “Landbruk pluss” – Agriculture Plus-. The development in Norwegian agriculture will give a substantial reduction in the number of farms. An international development for more free trade will reduce import restrictions for food products and this, combined with pressure from the consumer for reliable food quality and still reduced prices, the farmer will see revenues are diminishing.

It is necessary for the farmer to turn around, find new sources of income. The government stills wants to keep agriculture with a decentralised structure in all regions, and to preserve the production for some important basic products, as well as all the aspects of multifunctionality.

To achieve this regional development cannot be based on agriculture alone, and agriculture must comprise more than agriculture. We still want to make it possible for some farms by professional action to mainly concentrate on producing food. But other farms, many of them, must find other sources of occupation and income. Our policy must enhance this course of action, and among other we must make it easier for people who wants to establish a combination of agriculture and other activities, to acquire a farm. The policy must supply the rural population with the same conditions of living that is natural for the rest of the population. But to succeed it is important that the rural population are open to the demands of the market, and to adjust production and activities to this.

We know that French agriculture have some of the same challenges and goals as we have in Norway, and we know that our guest here to day, CNASEA (The national centre for regional development), is an important tool to achieve these goals. We look very much forward to your presentation, and to learn about how you achieve these goals.