Grocery chain deal could be illegal

The future of the ICA grocery store chain in Norway was uncertain this week after Norway’s competition authority Konkurransetilsynet ordered a temporary suspension of a cooperative agreement between ICA Norge and NorgesGruppen. The regulators fear the deal, announced earlier this year, would give NorgesGruppen too much market control and violate competition laws, even though Swedish-controlled ICA [...]

Labour’s partners now a liability

NEWS ANALYSIS: Consumers finally seem to be revolting in Norway. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) released a new public opinion poll on Thursday that shows the opposition parties in Parliament now holding double the amount of voter support than that held by the Labour-led government parties. That should come as no surprise. The government parties, it seems, [...]

New butter woes spread cost cut calls

Norway’s two largest non-socialist parties, the Conservatives (Høyre) and the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet, Frp), think it’s possible to cut billions in state funding for agriculture, by reducing the bureaucracy that protects Norwegian farming and by promoting more free-market mechanisms. Their proposals come amidst complaints of high food prices and another possible butter shortage. Norwegian Broadcasting [...]

Farmers failed to meet Stoltenberg

Norwegian farmers, still furious over what they consider to be a poor state subsidy offer from the government, picked the wrong date in their efforts on Monday to confront and further ridicule Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. He’s been out traveling since last week, but the farmers warned they’d try again. An estimated 2,000 farmers drove [...]

Farmers in trouble after latest protest

Some of Norway’s angry farmers gathered during the night and blocked the delivery of newspaper Sunnmørsposten from its printing plant at Breivika in Ålesund. They were unhappy with the newspaper’s coverage of their protest actions last week, but their blockade is being blasted as both unpopular and illegal. Several farmers from Sunnmøre, western Norway, drove [...]

Farmers urged to demand more from their powerful cooperatives

Norway’s frustrated farmers believe they have the support of most Norwegians, but there are signs that unconditional support is waning. Calls are now rising for the farmers to demand a better deal from their distribution and marketing cooperatives like Tine, Gilde and Nortura, instead of just from the state. Norwegians do indeed have a long tradition [...]

Tempers rise over bread and butter

A highly unpopular shortage of butter in Norwegian stores last fall and winter hasn’t stopped farmers from now trying to produce a shortage of bread. Their attempt to heat up support for their cause, however, may only backfire with consumers, while bakeries claim they have enough flour supplies to keep store shelves stocked. The farmers, [...]

Angry farmers demand more money

Norwegian farmers, determined to not only preserve their state support but win much more, launched a series of protest actions over the weekend. They claim they need at least three times what the government is offering. The two main national organizations representing the farmers – Norges Bondelag and Norsk Bonde- og Småbrukarlag – were so [...]

Farmers want 20 percent pay hike

The powerful organizations representing Norwegian farmers (bondelagene) have delivered a written demand for NOK 2.2 billion (around USD 386 million) worth of subsidies and other forms of economic support. State officials claimed the demand amounts to a pay hike of 20 percent. Leif Forsell of the state agricultural ministry, who’ll be leading the annual spring subsidy [...]

Food prices rise as border trade soars

Food prices in Norway rose again from January to February, reported state statistics bureau SSB on Friday. The news comes as legions of Norwegians would likely drive over the border during the weekend to do their shopping in Sweden, where prices are much lower and selection much higher. SSB reported that prices for vegetables and [...]

Grocery branch probes high prices

Thousands of Norwegians cross the border into Sweden every day to stock up on groceries and other goods that are as much as 40 percent cheaper than they are at home. Now grocery retailers themselves concede that Norwegians pay NOK 31 billion more for food than their Scandinavian neighbours every year, but they won’t accept [...]

Higher tax set to raise food prices

Just months after the left-center government wrapped up an investigation into high food prices in Norway, it’s reportedly prepared to contribute to price hikes itself by increasing the tax on food items. The proposal met immediate opposition but seems likely to move forward. The government will present its new state budget for 2012 next week, [...]

Norwegians pay more than neighbors

A recent report from the government food chain assessment committee (Matkjedeutvalget) shows that  Norwegians pay 23 percent more for their food and staple goods than Swedes. The steep price of local agricultural commodities, coupled with high purchase cost on international goods allows merchants to jack up the prices on the remaining goods in order to [...]