The average income of a Norwegian farmer rose by 8 percent in 2010, the most recent reporting year, reports state statistics bureau SSB. The news comes just as the powerful farmers’ lobby in Norway starts negotiations with the government regarding subsidies and tariffs that protect their products from foreign competition.
The farmers are demanding even more money this year, despite rising consumer complaints over high food prices, poor choices and even last year’s shortage of butter.
SSB reports that the average income of a Norwegian farmer amounted to NOK 485,000 (USD 88,000) in 2010. Farmers in Akershus County, bordering on the Oslo metropolitan area, had the highest gross income, of NOK 610,000, while farmers in the northernmost county of Finnmark earned NOK 210,000 less.
Views and News staff