Skretting Norway's sustainability and public affairs manager Leif Kjetil Skjæveland has just been appointed as one of nine people who will provide technical and strategic advice to the Norwegian government’s social mission on sustainable feed.
Five ministries are collaborating on the feed mission, led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries, represented here by State Secretary Even Tronstad Sagebakken (on the right) alongside Skretting's representative in the steering group, Leif Kjetil Skjæveland, during a political debate at Arendalsuka 2024.
The national social mission aims to ensure that all feed for farmed fish and livestock comes from sustainable sources by 2034.
According to a statement by the Norwegian government, food security is under pressure due to population growth, increased strain on land and resources, climate change, and more uncertain supply chains. They also emphasise that the global food systems account for over one-third of current greenhouse gas emissions, with the production of fish feed and livestock feed constituting a significant portion of these emissions.
In response to this, the government has launched a targeted mission on sustainable feed. Targeted missions are innovative and ambitious 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. The mission 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.
The mission’s main goal is that by 2034, 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 mission will contribute to preserving biodiversity, developing a strong feed ingredient industry, and increasing supply security in Norway.
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.
"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. With our mission Feeding the Future, it is only natural that we will do what we can do to help develop a new raw material industry that can provide us with more sustainable feed ingredients," says Skjæveland.
The nine-person steering group appointed by the government includes three representatives from the feed industry. In addition to Skretting, the advisory group includes representatives from BioMar, Sjømat Norge, Norges Bondelag and Felleskjøpet fôrutvikling from the green sector, the NGOs Bellona and Framtiden i våre hender and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet).
"Without the feed industry, the 2034 ambition will be unattainable," says Skjæveland. "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."
At present, the proportion of Norwegian-produced raw materials in feed for farmed fish is eight percent. The Norwegian government wants to increase this to 25 per cent by 2034. And in this respect, Skretting has taken a clear position in working to reduce the climate and environmental footprint of the aquaculture industries, both in Norway and abroad.