Agricultural organizations in Norway are expressing concern about a free trade agreement that Oslo intends to conclude with the United Kingdom. Especially the fact that the British now apply less stringent food quality standards after leaving the European Union is causing worry for the Norwegian dairy industry.
The negotiations between London and Oslo are in their final phase. Norway is not a member of the European Union but cooperates with the EU in many areas, mainly international (treaty) matters. However, Norway has its own import and export agreement with the EU, which until last year also covered the British.
The British now apply different quality requirements in their milk and cheese production and can therefore produce (slightly) more cheaply, which could put pressure on the Norwegian dairy turnover in the domestic market. The free trade agreement will affect our Norwegian level of self-sufficiency and weaken incomes in Norwegian agriculture, according to the Norwegian dairy industry.
Moreover, the agreement is said to conflict with commitments to the UN sustainability goals. In pointing this out, Norwegian agriculture is referring to criticism within the EU of the Mercosur agreement, which allegedly did not take into account environmental damage in the Brazilian rainforest.
The trade agreement is being finalized behind closed doors. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP, article 13), states that those affected by a trade agreement have the right to be heard. Nevertheless, the agricultural sector has not been given the opportunity.
For this reason, the international committee of the Norwegian Farmers 'and Smallholders' Association (NBS) believes that the import of domestically produced food from the UK is undesirable and should be excluded from the Norwegian Brexit agreement. The NBS argues that the United Kingdom should not receive increased import quotas for meat and cheese.