Norwegian parliament backs fish farming rule changes
The Storting has today adopted the aquaculture report. The majority supported the Industry Committee's proposition, which is based on a broad political agreement between six parties on the future regulation of the world's biggest salmon farming sector.
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The Labour Party, Conservative Party, Centre Party, Progress Party, Socialist Left Party and Liberal Party have previously come together on an agreement that strengthens and clarifies the direction of the report, and in the agreement the parties also agreed not to promote alternative majorities in proposals or comments that challenge the consensus in this agreement, reports Fish Farming Expert's Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no.
Download a translation of the agreement here.
Today's decision marks a preliminary end to a longer process on how aquaculture should be developed further.
"We have reached a broad agreement that takes the environmental challenges seriously and secures jobs along the entire coast," said Erling Sande (Centre Party), head of the industry committee, ahead of the vote.
Actual impact
The agreement states that future regulation should be based on actual and measurable environmental impact, with individual incentives for the aquaculture company.
A new environmental technology scheme will also be introduced this autumn, making it possible for farms with zero emissions of sea lice to use the percentages of their biomass allowance that have previously been removed under Norway's traffic light system, which links production to lice numbers and their perceived impact on migrating wild smolts.
Better basis before new measures
A better knowledge base will be developed for the impact of aquaculture on wild salmon, and a new regulatory model will be studied and presented for new consideration in the Storting (Parliament) during 2026.
The Conservative Party, which did not support the government's original model, is satisfied that a decision on a new framework will not be made until the knowledge base has been strengthened.
"We are pleased that the aquaculture industry is now receiving the attention it deserves. It is important that we get a new and better knowledge base before new measures are taken," said the party's Olve Grotle.
