[ad_1]
The fur ban puts young couple Kristian and Julie Erbs and their two children into a hell of debt.
– It’s an absolutely terrible situation. We will spend the rest of our lives paying debts, says Julie Erbs (32) in a video link from Denmark.
In 2013, the young couple Kristian and Julie bought a cheap farm in Nissedal in Telemark. The farm was completely renovated and the following year they were in the process of producing mink skins.
– We’re not the type to do something by halves. We should be the best, she says.
The couple had good operations on the mink farm. They improved the farm to the highest possible level. The farm was valued at NOK 7.5 million. It took five million crowns in loans to get the standard they wanted to ensure good animal welfare and the best fur.
– We achieved very good results. We showcased our farm to both the media and politicians and received a lot of positive feedback. If we lived on mink, we would be among the best, he explains.
In all the years the couple ran the fur farm in Telemark, there was a debate in the media about fur production. Should it be banned? Were stricter rules needed for animal welfare? It was one of the questions that were repeated.
Commentary: The state’s betrayal of Bjørnar and his colleagues is almost unbelievable
I thought they were insured
January 2017, however, came to a conclusion, the couple thought. The Storting was in favor of “sustainable development”. The fur farms were going to get better. Greater competition, better animal welfare and stricter rules. The couple breathed a sigh of relief and continued their work.
– We were going very well on our way. We had a very good business. We had a home and a good life. Everything went very well, says Kristian Erbs.
The couple had two children, both boys.
In the fall of 2017 they traveled to Denmark. The motive was to learn as much as possible to bring back to Norway.
– We were new to the subject and we wanted to learn from the best. And it is the most professional players who operate in Denmark, he says.
They got a job on a large mink farm in Denmark and learned a lot. They had to bring the new experience home to Norway. Before falling, they had sold the farm animals and rented it to someone else to pay the bills.
But one day when they were at work, the shocking news came that was going to change their lives.
A couple of months after moving to Denmark in January 2018, the message came that the fur industry should be banned. It was a demand of the Liberal Party in the negotiations with the Conservatives, the Liberal Party, and the Christian Democrats in the negotiations on Jeløya.
In the new book by the then party leader in the Liberal Party, Trine Skei Grande, he writes that the demand for a fur ban was “a test” to see how far the other bourgeois parties could stretch.
The online newspaper contacted former party leader Trine Skei Grande about the advice she has for the young couple. She has not responded to our repeated questions.
Read more: Bjørnar (53) has been a farmer for 31 years. Now their livelihood is forbidden. – I won’t stop until the police take me out
– I can’t understand that politicians want to hurt us.
– We were shocked. We were stuck in Denmark, says Kristian.
– We travel to Denmark in good faith. We had no preconditions for the government to sit in a closed room to turn the industry upside down, says Julie.
Subsequently, a great political game began. The government decided to compensate the fur producers, but the compensation was met with strong reactions from the Norwegian Fur Animal Association, after calculations showing that many fur producers would end up in debt.
With the FRP and the Center Party at the helm, the government suffered a violent defeat in the Storting. Most decided that fur producers should receive compensation as if it were expropriation, that is, when the state seizes their property to, for example, build a road.
While the politicians argue at the Storting, Julie calls the bank to get a grace period on the loan.
– For a long time I have managed to keep this at arm’s length. But with the new rounds and constant postponements, it has been impossible to stay calm at a distance and have the focus here and now, and on our two young children. But he is constantly reminded of this unfortunate situation, he says.
Read about the mink farm scandal at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
Soon no money
In the government compensation proposal, there is a deadline to have working animals in Norway from January 25, 2018. But the couple, who had sold the animals, had not rented the farm and traveled to Denmark to improve in the topic. – with every intention of returning home.
– All Norwegian fur breeders have had a very bad time. But those who have been on time have at least a guarantee that they will get something. It is not to neglect the situation in which all our colleagues find themselves. But now we have been out of this scheme for almost three years. Of course it does something to you as a human being.
Following the clear marching order from the Storting, the government presented its latest proposal on Wednesday. Kristian and Julie also stay outside. Due to the strict deadline.
– We’ll run out of money soon. When we’re done with this interview, I’ll call the bank to ask for a new grace period on the loan, so at least we won’t be declared bankrupt until this is finally considered at the Storting, says Julie.
Because it is not enough that the farm is worth nothing. It is also located on adjoining land in the municipality of Nissedal. This means that the couple must clean the entire farm and return it to the municipality.
– We have no values. No farm to sell, he says.
– What is your last hope for politicians?
– That the Storting keep what it has decided that fur producers remain compensated and change the basic condition for compensation, says Kristian.
I will not comment
The online newspaper asked the following questions to the Ministry of Agriculture.
– What is the message of the Minister of Agriculture to Christian and Julie?
– How can the state do something that puts a young couple in a debt nightmare?
– What do you want to do to clean this up?
In an email, Ministry of Agriculture press officer Heidi Riise writes:
– The Ministry of Agriculture and Food has sent for consultation a proposal for legislative amendments that follows up on the decision to request the Storting. The Ministry cannot comment specifically on the situation of the individuals, but it is possible that everyone will register proposals for changes in the round of consultations. All input from the consultations will be evaluated before a draft legislative resolution is submitted to the Storting. The consultation period ends on January 21, 2021.
Advertising
The Shopping Party Continues: Check Out Sunday’s Black Weekend Sale
