Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.08.2017, Page 20

One of Iceland’s best known exports
is lamb meat. Last January, the coun-
try saw record domestic sales of lamb
meat, attributed in part to the tourism
boom, and just under
6,800 tonnes were sold
in 2016 alone. Statisti-
cal analysis of Iceland’s
sheep has shown that
the animals are getting
heavier and healthier
than ever.
It might come as a
surprise, then, that it
is already being esti-
mated that some 1,300
tonnes of lamb meat
headed for market this
fall could be left unsold.
Both the strengthen-
ing of the króna and the
trade embargo against
Russia are putting a sig-
nificant dent in Icelan-
dic exports. Prices for
exported goods—and
therefore returns—are
expected to be about
35% less than they were last year. How
did this happen?
How farmers get paid
More than 40% of the income Icelan-
dic farmers receive comes in the form
of government subsidies. At the same
time, the number of sheep farms in
Iceland has declined from 3,286 in
1993, to 2,785 in 2008.
Meanwhile, Icelandic tastes are
changing. While lamb used to be the
primary type of meat consumed in
Iceland, in recent years beef, pork and
chicken have either equalled or sur-
passed lamb in terms of per capita con-
sumption. It should be noted that cows,
pigs and chickens, unlike sheep, can
be and are farmed in small enclosures.
Sheep farming requires vast expanses
of grassy areas for the
sheep to graze—some-
thing in limited supply
in Iceland.
We really
shouldn’t be
surprised
It might be easy to
blame the impend-
ing lamb crisis on
t h e s t r e n g t h e n i n g
króna and the em-
bargo against Russia
alone, but these aren’t
the sole causes by a
long shot. Concerns
about overproduction
and calls for reducing
sheep farming have
been ongoing since at
least 1995, even as the
number of sheep farms
has been steadily declining. How has
this been allowed to happen?
One explanation would be the Pro-
gressive Party. This political party,
which has been around for over a cen-
tury, has traditionally advocated on
behalf of Icelandic farmers, and their
strongest base of support is in rural
areas (with the exception of fishing
centres, which tend to support the In-
dependence Party). The Progressive
Party has, until last year’s elections,
also been a part of the Icelandic gov-
ernment since 1988, apart from a brief
respite from 2006 to 2013.
Last December, the Icelandic gov-
ernment allocated 100 million ISK
to promoting the sale of lamb meat
abroad, at a time when the health
care system is in dire need of reform
and the housing market is becoming
increasingly inaccessible to local resi-
dents. Then Minister of Agriculture,
Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, who defend-
ed the allocation to reporters, happens
to hail from the Progressive Party.
Maybe we should let the
market decide
As it stands now, Icelandic sheep farm-
ers are contending that they are barely
breaking even. Even if the Russian
market opened again and the króna
relaxed, there is still no guarantee
that the situation would significantly
change. The industry has seen the writ-
ing on the wall; sheep farming might
no longer be as viable as it once was.
Ágúst Andrésson, the chairperson of
the National Association of Slaughter
Permit Holders, told reporters recently
that Iceland needs to both decrease
lamb meat production and expand the
overseas market. On the point of re-
ducing production, chairperson of the
Farmers’ Association of Iceland, Sindri
Sigurgeirsson, disagrees, but he has
not been able to offer any ideas on how
to find a market for the quantities Ice-
land currently produces.
This leaves Iceland at a crossroads.
Sheep farming is a romantic, idyllic,
and very Icelandic tradition. No one
would dispute that. The only question
remaining is whether anyone should
be guaranteed to make a living in their
chosen profession, whatever the cost
to the nation as a whole. This autumn,
when the new stock of lamb meat hits
the shelves, the market may end up an-
swering that question for us.
Iceland’s Looming Sheep Crisis
An agricultural dilemma is on the horizon
CULTURE
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photo:
Art Bicnick
ANIMAL OF THE ISSUE:
Puffins
After a mosey about the Golden
Circle, you—our tourist reader—
might be wondering, “How the hell
does any animal survive on this
godforsaken Atlantic rock?” It’s a
fair question. With its lack of veg-
etation, merciless climate, and gen-
eral all-around uncomfortableness,
Iceland is not an easy place for any
living being to survive. That said,
there are a number of cool fauna in
the country to explore.
So, let’s meet the…
Puffin
Next to Sigmundur Davíð’s unfor-
tunate face, the puffin, or fratercula
arctica, may as well be the mascot
of Iceland. You can pay lots of mon-
ey to go look at them on boats in
the harbour, or you drop even more
króna for a stuffed version in one
of the many Puffin shops around
town—which is totally a sound in-
vestment; stuffed animals last a
lifetime.
The bird resembles a penguin
with red paint on its beak. It’s
striking—hence the popularity
of the stuffed versions. The flock
migrates to Iceland in early April,
100% DTB— down to breed. They
are relatively conservative though,
mating for life, so you may as well
call them the only Catholics in Ice-
land. That said, they spend their
winters alone flying over the ocean,
which is pretty emo and artsy. Puf-
fin poetry must be dope.
The Gene Simmons Of Iceland
Puffins subsist mainly on herring
and sand eels. Using their weirdly
strong tongues, the birds can hold
up to sixty fish in their mouth at a
time—gross, right?
While they have many predators,
the biggest one is the Icelander. The
fresh heart of a puffin is eaten raw
as a traditional Icelandic delicacy
and Icelandic chefs are constantly
cooking ‘em up all over the coun-
try to the delight of visiting foodies,
who can then go home and say, “I
ate puffin!” Woohoo!
If you are just dying to see them
in the wild though, there are large
populations at Látrabjarg in the
Westfjords, Dyrhólaey on the south
coast, Ingólfshöfði, and the West-
man islands. Of course, if that’s
too far to go, you can always buy a
stuffed one on Laugavegur.
HJC - Photos by Art Bicnick and
Boaworm (Wikipedia)
20 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15 — 2017
A wanderer in a sea of fog
“The only
question
remaining is
whether anyone
should be
guaranteed to
make a living
in their chosen
profession,
whatever the
cost to the
nation as a
whole.”