Farmers in Iceland are lobbying for permission to increased production of finished food products on their farms like cheese, marmalade and meat products, and to sell the products directly to consumers to reduce CO2 emissions.
Such measures would reduce transportation of farm animals and finished food products to the local market, farmers conclude, which could help reduce CO2 emissions. According to Morgunbladid, 30 percent of CO2 emissions in the world are related to food production and transportation.
Árni Jósteinsson, the innovation representative at the Association of Icelandic Farmers, said the association is participating in a co-Nordic initiative aimed at increasing home production at Nordic farms.
Jósteinsson explained the same regulations apply to farmers in the Nordic countries as in countries like Austria and Germany, where it is much more common that farmers sell their products straight from their farms.
“We have realized that the law is interpreted differently there than in Scandinavia,” Jósteinsson said. “This project is aimed at investigating this difference in interpretation.”
Because of the cost involved with veterinary services and disposing of slaughterhouse waste, operating small slaughterhouses will prove expensive for farmers, Jósteinsson said, but all in all, home production would be beneficial, he stated.
Click here to read more about home slaughtering.
