WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/AG/N/NOR/55 
4 December 2009 
 (09-6231) 
Committee on Agriculture Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
  The following submission, dated 18 November 2009,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Norway .  The notification concerns new or modified domestic support measures exempt 
from reduction ( Table DS:2 ). 
 
  
_______________ 
 G/AG/N/NOR/55 
Page 2  
 
  Table DS:2 
 
DOMESTIC SUPPORT:  Norway  
Notification under Article 18:3 of the Agreement:  
New or modified domestic support measures exempt from reduction  
 
(1) Full title of measure:  National environmental progr amme, including Regional 
environmental programmes 
 
(2) Domestic legislation reference:  The annual Agricultural Agreement, Proposition to the 
Storting, approved by the Parliament 
 
(3) Detailed description of measure with reference to criteria:  
  The programmes are in accordance with the requirements of Annex 2, paragraph 12;  
payments under environmental programmes.  
  The programmes are publicly-funded government  programmes adopted by the Parliament. 
Producers are eligible to receive payments under the programmes provided that they meet the 
criteria laid down in the legislation.  
 
 The national programme 
 By establishing the national environmental pr ogramme, Norway and Norwegian agriculture 
will be more capable of complying with  international commitments related to inter alia  the 
Convention on Biological Diversity, the Eur opean landscape convention, the North Sea 
Agreement, the EU Water Framework Directive.  
  The aims of the national programme are: 
• Ensure that various types of agricultural la ndscapes are maintained and that valuable 
biotopes and cultural heritage are attended to and taken care of.  Given that the agricultural landscape in Norway constitutes only 3 per cen t of the total area, it is important to 
safeguard environmental goods, which are depe ndent upon the agricultural landscape.  An 
essential part of the programme is therefore to  prevent that the agricultural landscape is 
transformed into less valuable types of landscapes; 
• Contribute to an agricultural production that l eads to the least possible pollution and loss 
of nutrients. 
 
 In order to be eligible to receive payments  under this programme, producers have to establish 
environmental plans for their enterprise.  By the means of planning, the producers shall be able to document that the agricultural area  included in the programme is managed in 
accordance with the prevailing requirements in th e Environmental Plan Regulation.  The plan 
shall include the following:  
• Maps, which include an overview over the agri cultural area, pastures and other areas that 
can be affected by the agricultural operation.  Areas that are particularly important to 
biological diversity, areas with high risk of  erosion and other environmentally important 
factors shall be described and marked on the map;  
• A Fertiliser Plan and a Journal for the use of pesticides;  
• A check list for environmental concerns  related to agricultural operation; 
• An action plan in order to deal with a ny shortcomings related to the check list; 
• Documentation of actions that are completed.  G/AG/N/NOR/55 
 Page 3 
 
 
   Maps, plans, journals and documentation shall be updated at all times.  The check list and the 
action plans shall be updated once a year.  
  In addition, certain actions are prohibited, inter alia : 
• Channelling and closing of  rivers and streams; 
• Closing of open ditches; 
• Cultivation of edges of wood and other remaining areas bordering the infield; 
• Removal of unproductive islets in fields, stone fences and old mounds of stones; 
• Levelling of arable land; 
• Cultivation or removal of old traffic arteries; 
• Use of pesticides on vegetation bordering the ar able land unless it is a part of the care of 
the agricultural landscape.  
 In exceptional cases local authorities may give  permission to carry out actions mentioned 
above. The permission shall be based on an asse ssment of the potential environmental effects 
of the action.  
 
 The economic measures under the environmenta l programmes shall cover the additional costs 
linked to the participation in the programme through the maintenance of the agricultural 
landscape and other environmental requiremen ts, and represent payments for the production 
of environmental goods.  The payments unde r the National Environmental programme 
include payments per hectare and payments for grazing animals. 
 
If producers fail to establish a comprehensive e nvironmental plan under this programme, the 
payments will be reduced.  The payments will al so be reduced if the farm contravenes any of 
the requirements in the Environmental Plan Regulation. 
   All producers who receive direct payments  may be subject to inspections by the 
Governments.  The aim is to ensu re that the criteria are fulfilled. 
 
 The Regional Programme 
 In order to target the various environmenta l challenges throughout the country, the regional 
programme (one per County district) is est ablished as a supplement to the national 
programme.  The provisions for the regiona l measures are laid down in the national 
programme.  Based on these provisions, each count y prioritises measures to deal with local 
and regional environmental challenges.  Each County Programme is approved (for a four-year 
period) by Norwegian Agricultural Author ity according to the National Programme 
requirements. 
 (4) Cost of measure:    
 2005:  National programme - NKr 3,229.4 million 
  Regional programme - NKr 98.5 million 
 2006: National programme - NKr 3,213.0 million  
  Regional programme - NKr 332.0 million  2007: National programme - NKr 3,485.4 million   Regional programme - NKr 383.8 million  2008 National programme  - NKr 3,549.3 million 
  Regional programme - NKr 385.6 million 
 
(5) Date of entry into effect:   1 January 2005 
 (6) Period of application:   Not specified G/AG/N/NOR/55 
Page 4  
 
   
(7) Products to principally benefit (if any individual product(s)):   
 
 N/A 
 
__________