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