The Norwegian ministers of Fisheries and Oceans, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, and of Agriculture and Food, Nils Kristen Sandtrøen, after receiving the report.
Photo: David Berg Tvetene / Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.
In 2024, Norway established a societal mission on sustainable feed to strengthen food security, address climate change, and reduce vulnerability in the country's supply chains. This national social mission has now taken another step forward with the presentation of a report including 20 specific measures to achieve it.
Comprising representatives from the feed industry, with the participation of Skretting and BioMar; the seafood industry through Sjømat Norge; the agricultural sector, with the Norwegian Farmers' Association and Felleskjøpet; NGOs -The Future in Our Hands and Bellona-; and the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), the steering group for the social mission established last year has presented a report on sustainable feed to the Norwegian ministers of Fisheries and Oceans and Agriculture and Food.
The report -available here, in Norwegian- provides an overall assessment of the current status and progress and, as mentioned, proposes 20 measures to achieve the goal of sustainable feed by 2034, when all feed for farmed fish and livestock in Norway shall come from sustainable sources and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in food systems.
The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans emphasized that the proposed measures are aimed at both the authorities and the industry, and are based on broad participation by researchers and stakeholders in the sector.
"Norwegian food production depends on safe and stable access to feed. With this report, we receive concrete recommendations that can help strengthen preparedness, environmental considerations, and value creation across the entire country," said the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food, Nils Kristen Sandtrøen, commenting on the report.
"Sustainable feed is crucial for us to develop a more robust and forward-looking aquaculture industry," stated, for her part, the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
"This report gives us a clear knowledge base for the road ahead, and it shows that we have strong expert communities and industry actors pulling in the same direction," she added.
Committed to ensuring that these 20 measures for sustainable feed production reach all stakeholders, an open seminar was held after the delivery to present not only the main conclusions, but also the framework for evaluating sustainable feed.
The targeted mission on sustainable feed - in Norway, targeted missions are innovative projects where there is an identified need for research and development to interact with regulatory and policy changes to solve specific challenges within a given timeframe - is a collaboration between the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Health and Care Services, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the Ministry of Education.
As mentioned, the mission will contribute to increasing supply security in Norway, preserving biodiversity, and developing a strong feed ingredient industry, so its creation was welcomed by the sector.
"The fact that feed is the object of one of the first national missions in Norway ever, shows that the government understands the role the feed industry plays for a sustainable future," commented Leif Kjetil Skjæveland, Skretting Norway's Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager and one of the members of the steering group, last year.
At the time the steering group was appointed, the proportion of Norwegian-produced raw materials in feed for farmed fish was 8% and the Norwegian Government wanted to increase this to 25% by 2034.
"Without the feed industry, the 2034 ambition will be unattainable," Skjæveland then added. "If we want to reach the targets, we urgently need to start with industrialization on the raw material side, and make sure that investors get help to invest in feed raw materials that have a right to life."
"The fact that the steering group consists of representatives from both the blue and green sectors improves the chances of success," Skretting Norway's Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager concluded.