Jacob Vestergaard challenges ministry ruling on unlawful order

Faroese Minister of Industry Jacob Vestergaard is disputing a ruling by his own ministry that he lacked the authority to order the Agricultural Agency to stay away from a meeting, KVF reports.

The dispute concerns a case in which the pasture board was due to decide whether to give Bakkafrost approval. The board included leaseholders, who did not want to cooperate.

The Agricultural Agency subsequently removed one leaseholder from control and said it represented the pasture, which is state-owned land. Vestergaard rejected that position and ordered the agency to stay away from the matter.

Pól Egholm, the ministry’s permanent secretary, considered the order questionable but issued it nonetheless. The Agricultural Agency ignored the order and proceeded with the case.

The ministry’s administration later concluded that Vestergaard had issued an order without legal authority. Rather than accept that conclusion, the minister sought advice from lawyer Annfinn V. Hansen, who supported Vestergaard’s position in a letter dated 27 July.

Much of the lawyer’s conclusion also appeared word for word in a response to a question from member of the Faroese parliament Liljan Veihe about the order.

Vestergaard said he still has confidence in the administration and that the disagreement concerns different interpretations of laws and regulations. He told KVF that, if necessary, he would issue another order in the case concerning water in Skálavík, even though his own administration has said that doing so would break the law.

The water case remains unresolved, although water is flowing down onto the smolt facility. After the Appeals Agency rejected the case, it was submitted to the so-called superior agricultural tribunal.