Olafur Arnalds

Show more
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Borgarnes, Iceland.
Show less

Abstract: Sheep production in Iceland is heavily subsidized with a part of the payments tied to land condition and compliance with sustainable land use according to a Quality Management System (QMS). A large proportion of the rangelands used for sheep grazing are public lands. The paper is based on Land Improvement Plans (LIP’s) and Soil Conservation of Iceland (SCSI) correspondence obtained by appeal under the Information Act. The results show that “green payments” are made for use of land that fails to meet the criteria given for such payments, based on the extent of barren areas, active soil erosion, and vegetation condition. Strong formal objections by the SCSI about the content and implementation of QMS have been ignored. It is further shown that the land use section of the QMS (L-QMS) is non-transparent and not well scientifically grounded. The use of the term “sustainable land use” is confounded when used to justify the use of collapsed ecosystems. The LIP’s show high to extreme grazing intensities on land in poor condition, thus further defying ideas for green subsidy schemes. The investigation reveals serious conflicts between environmental and agricultural sectors, at agency and ministerial levels, which is enhanced by incoherent legislation structures. It is vital to reconstruct the green subsidies for sheep farming in Iceland, based on science and best available information with a much broader stakeholder participation than at present, involving multi-sectoral agencies and scientists, NGO’s, communities, the general public, and land users.

Keywords: Agricultural Subsidies, Agro-Environmental, SLM, Land Condition, Sheep Grazing

Cite this paper: Arnalds, O. (2019) Development of Perverse Environmental Subsides for Sheep Production in Iceland. Agricultural Sciences, 10, 1135-1151. doi: 10.4236/as.2019.109086.

References

[1]   Helgadottir, A., Eythorsdottir, E. and Johannesson, T. (2013) Agriculture in Iceland—A Grassland Based Production. Grassland Science in Europe, 18, 30-43.

[2]   OECD (2019) Agricultural Support (Indicator).

[3]   Arnalds, O. (2015) The Soils of Iceland. Chapter 12. Collapse, Erosion, Condition and Restoration. Springer, Dordrecht.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9621-7_12

[4]   Arnalds, O., Thorarinsdottir, E.F., Metusalemsson, S., Jonsson, A., Gretarsson, E. and Arnason, A. (1997) Jarevegsrof á íslandi (Soil Erosion in Iceland). Soil Conservation Service and Agricultural Research Institute, Reykjavik, 157 p. (In Icelandic)

[5]   Arnalds, O. and Barkarson, B. (2003) Soil Erosion and Land Use Policy in Iceland in Relation to Sheep Grazing and Government Subsidies. Environmental Science and Policy, 6, 105-113.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1462-9011(02)00115-6

[6]   Crofts, R. (2011) Healing the Land. Soil Conservation Service of Iceland, Gunnarsholt, Iceland.

[7]   OECD (2014) Environmental Performance Review: Iceland 2014. OECD, Paris.

[8]   Petursdottir, Th., Aradottir, A.L., Baker, S., Halldorsson, G. and Sonneveld, B. (2017) Successes and Failures in Rangeland Restoration: An Icelandic Case Study. Land Degradation and Development, 28, 34-45.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2579

[9]   Aradottir, A.L., Petursdottir, Th., Halldorsson, G., Svavarsdottir, K. and Arnalds, O. (2013) Drivers of Restoration—Lessons from a Century of Restoration in Iceland: A Review. Ecology and Society, 18, 33.
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05946-180433

[10]   UU (2018) Information Ruling Committee Ruling 747. (In Icelandic)
https://www.stjornarradid.is/gogn/urskurdir-og-alit-/stakur-urskurdur/2018/08/07/747-2018.-Urskurdur-fra-31.-juli-2018

[11]   Fannarsson, B.S., Barkarson, B.H., Pétursson, J.G. and Helgadóttir, S.S. (2018) Reform of the Icelandic Soil Conservation Law. In: Ginzky, H., Dooley, E., Heuser, I.L., Kasimbazi, E., Markus, T. and Qin, T., Eds., International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy 2017, Springer, Cham, 223-243.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68885-5_12

[12]   Stefansson, J.H. (2018) Of Sheep and Man. Analysis of the Agri-Environmental Cross-Compliance Policies in the Icelandic Sheep Grazing Regime. MA Thesis, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.

[13]   Arnalds, O., Thorsson, J. and Thorarinsdottir, E.F. (2003) Land Use and Ecofriendly Production of Sheep Products. Agricultural Research Institute Report 211, Agricultural University of Iceland, Hvanneyri. (In Icelandic)

[14]   Gisladottir, F.O., Brink, S.H. and Arnalds, O. (2014) Nytjaland. Agricultural University of Iceland Report No. 49, Hvanneyri.
http://www.lbhi.is/sites/lbhi.is/files/gogn/vidhengi/rit_lbhi_nr_54.pdf

[15]   Jonsdottir, S. (2010) Sheep Pastures, Guide for Assessing Condition of Grazing Lands (“Sauefjárhagar, Leiebeiningar vie mat á ástandi beitilanda”). Soil Conservation Service of Iceland, Gunnarsholt.
http://www.land.is

[16]   Smyth, A.J. and Dumanski, J. (1993) FESLM. An International Framework for Evaluating the Sustainable Land Management. FAO World Resource Report 73. FAO, Rome.

[17]   Lefroy, R.D.B., Bechstedt, H.-D. and Rais, M. (2000) Indicators for Sustainable Land Management Based on Farmer Surveys in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 81, 137-146.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00187-0

[18]   Barrio, I.C., Hik, D.S., Thorsson, J., Svavarsdottir, K., Marteinsdottir, B. and Jónsdóttir, I.S. (2018) The Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing? Recognizing Threats for Land Degradation in Iceland Using State-and-Transition Models. Land Degradation and Development, 29, 1714-1725.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2978

[19]   Halldorsson, G., Agustsdottir, A.M., Aradottir, A.L., Arnalds, O., Nilsson, C., Oskarsson, H., Mortensen, L., Pagneux, E., Pilli-Sihvola, K., Raulund-Rasmussen, K., Svavarsdottir, K. and Tolvanen, A. (2017) Ecosystem Restoration for Mitigation of Natural Disasters. TemaNord, 546.
https://doi.org/10.6027/ANP2017-743

[20]   Hurni, H. (2000) Assessing Sustainable Land Management (SML). Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 81, 83-92.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00182-1

[21]   Caves, J.K., Bodner, G.S., Simms, K., Fisher, L.A. and Robertson, T. (2013) Integrating Collaboration, Adaptive Management, and Scenario-Planning: Experiences at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. Ecology and Society, 18, 43.
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05749-180343

[22]   Thorlaksdottir, J.S. (2015) Connecting Sustainable Land Use and Quality Management in Sheep Farming: Effective Stakeholder Participation or Unwelcome Obligation? MSc Thesis, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.

[23]   Burton, R.J.F. and Paragahawewa, U.H. (2011) Creating Culturally Sustainable Agri-Environmental Schemes. Journal of Rural Studies, 27, 95-104.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2010.11.001

[24]   Sheridan, T.E., Nabhan, G.P. and Charnley, S. (2014) Conclusions and Policy Implications. In: Charnley, S., Sheridan, T.E. and Nabhan, G.P., Eds., Stitching the West Back Together, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 301-310.
https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226165851.003.0025

[25]   Sheridan, T.E., Sayre, N.F. and Sibert, D. (2014) Beyond “Stakeholders” and Zero-Sum Game: Towards Community-Based Collaborative Conservation in the American West. In: Charnley, S., Sheridan, T.E. and Nabhan, G.P., Eds., Stitching the West Back Together, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 53-75.

[26]   Atari, D.O.A., Yiridoe, E.K., Smale, S. and Duinker, P.N. (2009) What Motivates Farmers to Participate in the Nova Scotia Environmental Farm Plan Program? Evidence and Environmental Policy Implications. Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 1269-1279.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.07.006

[27]   Esch, B.E., Waltz, A.E.M., Wasserman, T.N. and Kalies, E.L. (2018) Using Best Available Science Information: Determining Best and Available. Journal of Forestry, 116, 473-480.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvy037

[28]   Berglund, B., Hellgren, L. and Aradottir, A.L. (2015) Stakeholder Interaction in Participatory Land Restoration in Iceland: Environmental Officers’ Challenges and Strategies. Environmental Management, 56, 519-531.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0506-0