G/SCM/Q2/NOR/30  
 
22 March 2024  
(24-2493) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures  Original: English  
 
SUBSIDIES  
REPLIES  TO THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM1 REGARDING  
THE NEW AND FULL NOTIFICATION OF NORWAY2 
The following communication, dated and received on 22 March 2024, is being circulated at the 
request of the delegation of Norway.  
 
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The United Kingdom has sent a request for information regarding the 2023 subsidy notification  of 
Norway.  Please  see the answers  from Norway  to the questions  from the United Kingdom, below.  
Subsidy programmes in the agricultural sector  
The notification states that the 2022 numbers for Norway's agricultural programmes 
'were not available in time for the deadline for this notification'.  
Question 1  
1.  Could Norway please clarify whether the numbers for 2022 are now available?  
Reply : 
The DS:1 notification  concerning  domestic  support  commitments  for Norway  for the year 2022, is 
planned to be available by mid April 2024.  
Question 2  
2.  Could Norway please pro vide additional information on the eligibility criteria for 
enterprises / individuals to qualify for subsidies for the listed agricultural sectors and 
programmes?  
Reply : 
The eligibility  criterias  are set out in the Regulation  on production  and relief grant s. See below for 
more details:  
 
Purpose  
The purpose of grants under the regulation is to contribute to active and sustainable agriculture 
within the objectives set by the Norwegian Parliament.  
 
Basic Conditions  
Grants under the regulation may be provided to enterprises registered in the Business Register 
(Brønnøysund registeret) and engaged in ordinary agricultural production on one or more 
agricultural properties with the animal species or crop groups for which the grant is a pplied for, as 
these groups are defined at any given time pursuant to the agricultural agreement.  
 
1 G/SCM/Q2/NOR/29  
2 G/SCM/N/401/NOR  G/SCM/Q2/NOR/30  
 
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Grants for Livestock Farming  
Grants may be provided for livestock or bee colonies that the enterprise has at the time or during 
the period specified in the agricultural agreement . In addition, operating grants may be provided to 
enterprises engaged in:  
 
a) Dairy production, if the enterprise has a milk quota, and  
b) Specialized beef production.  
 
Additional grants may be provided for:  
 
a) Organic livestock farming, if production is conducted in accordance with regulation 
18 March 2017 no. 355 on organic production and labeling of organic agricultural 
products, aquaculture products, food, and feed,  
b) Dairy cows, if the enterprise has between 6 and 50 dairy cows,  
c) Animals on pasture with satisfactory grazing opportunities, if the majority of the 
animal's daily roughage intake occurs through grazing for a minimum of 16 weeks in 
zones 1 –4, and 12 weeks in zones 5 –7, 
d) Animals on common pasture with satisfactory grazing opportunities, if the ma jority of 
the animal's daily roughage intake occurs through grazing in common land for a 
minimum of 5 weeks.  
 
Additionally, grants may be provided for:  
 
a) Conservation -worthy breeds of cattle, as defined in the agricultural agreement, 
provided the individual  is registered in the Cattle Register at the Norwegian Genetic 
Resource Center,  
b) Conservation -worthy breeds of sheep, as defined in the agricultural agreement, 
provided the individual is registered with a locked breed code in the Sheep Control 
System,  
c) Conse rvation -worthy breeds of goats, as defined in the agricultural agreement, 
provided the individual is registered with a locked breed code in the Dam Goat Control 
System,  
d) Conservation -worthy breeds of horses, as defined in the agricultural agreement, 
provide d the individual is pedigree recorded (breed approved) and has been issued a 
horse passport.  
 
Grants for Agricultural Area  
Grants for area and cultural landscape can be provided for fully cultivated and surface cultivated 
land as well as enclosed pasturela nd that the enterprise has and actively operates at the time or 
during the period specified in the agricultural agreement.  
Additional grants may be provided for the areas that are organically cultivated in accordance with 
the production requirements in reg ulation 18 March 2017 no. 355 on organic production and labeling 
of organic agricultural products, aquaculture products, food, and feed.  
 
The grant shall be reduced if interventions that impair the cultural landscape are carried out on or 
in connection wit h the area the enterprise wholly or partially has. However, reductions shall only 
apply for interventions on property the enterprise wholly or partially has. If other regulations do not 
hinder it, the municipality may pre -approve the intervention if it all eviates significant operational 
inconveniences.  
 
The grant shall be reduced if the agricultural area does not have a vegetation zone of at least 
two meters towards watercourses with perennial water flow, measured horizontally from the normal 
water level of  the watercourse. The vegetation zone cannot be plowed.  
 
Grants for Horticulture and Potato Production  
District grants may be provided for fruit, berries, greenhouse vegetables, and field -grown lettuce.  
District grants may be provided for food potatoes and  field-grown vegetables cultivated in 
Northern  Norway.  
 G/SCM/Q2/NOR/30  
 
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  To receive grants, the enterprise must have utilized the area where the production of goods has 
occurred and have sold the goods during the period specified in the agricultural agreement. Grants 
are only provided for initial sales of goods. No grants are provided for waste.  
 
Enterprises selling processed goods must be able to present production logs or recipes. The 
production log shall include the amount of raw material processed and the quantity of fi nished 
product produced. The recipe shall specify the amount of raw material used in the production of a 
specified quantity of finished product.  
 
Grants for Relief  
Grants for relief may be provided based on the number of animals the enterprise had at the time or 
during the period specified in the agricultural agreement. The grant cannot exceed the enterprise's 
actual expenses for relief.  
Relief does not include work performed by a person who  
 
a) has income  from the enterprise,  
b) is the spouse  or cohabitant  of someone  with income  from the enterprise,  or 
c) is under  15 years old. 
 
Grants  under  this provision  cannot  be provided  to schools  and other  public  and private institutions.  
National Programmes for the Promotion of Norwegian Space Industry  
Question 3  
3.  Could Norway please provide further information on the eligibility criteria for the 
schemes, including whether foreign enterprises operating in Norway can qualify for the 
scheme?  
Reply : 
The scheme  has been renamed  the Norwegian  Space  Agency  Support  Scheme.  
All enterprises  registered  in Norway,  regardless  of ownership,  are eligible  for funding.  A short 
description follows.  
 
The objectives of the support scheme are two -fold: (1) to provide aid to Norwegian businesses  and 
research  organisations  which  deliver or may deliver,  technology,  services or applications to 
international space -related activity based on Norway’s membership in the European Space Agency, 
the European Union, and other space -related international collaboration, as well as the commercial 
international space markets. (2) To contribute to the development of space -based goods, services 
and applications that cover national public needs in a cost -effective way, including public agencies’ 
participation in research and development proj ects. 
 
Grants  are awarded  yearly  based  on application  to the Norwegian  Space  Agency  within  a certain date 
each year (normally 1 Nov.). Calls for applications are published on the Space Agency’s webpages 
(www.romsenter.no ). 
 
The scheme  expenditure  in 2021 was NOK 22.2 million  (a tenth  of what was reported).  
 
The notification states that the scheme's duration 'has not been specified, depending on 
government appropriations'.  
Question 4  
4.  Could Norway please clarify what this means in terms of the duration of the scheme?  
Reply : 
It means  that no end-date is set, and that the duration  depends  on yearly  allocations  from the 
Parliament.  G/SCM/Q2/NOR/30  
 
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  Transport Support  
Question 5  
5.  Could Norway please provide information on the scheme's annual budgets for 2021 
and 2022?  
Reply : 
Balanced  budget  for 2021:  NOK 28,5 million  
Balanced  budget  for 2022:  NOK 24,3 million  
Subsidies for Industrial and Environmental Purposes in Forestry  
The notification states that the subsidy rates for the scheme are determined by the local 
authorities.  
Question 6  
6.  Could Norway please clarify how local author ities determine these rates, including 
whether any guidance is provided to the local authorities by the Norwegian Agricultural 
Authority?  
Reply : 
Decision  regarding  the allocation  of grants  under  this regulation  is made  by the municipality.  
General  guidelines  for prioritizing  applications  shall be established.  Such guidelines  shall be 
developed in dialogue between the County Governor (Statsforvalteren), municipalities, and forestry 
industry organizations locally.  
Conditions  may be set for the disburs ement  of grants  for each measure.  The conditions  must be in 
line with the purposes of the measures.  
For joint measures, there must be a written agreement between the participants regarding the  
allocation  of costs and responsibilities  related  to the impleme ntation  of the measure,  and any 
conditions associated with subsequent follow -up and maintenance.  
 
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