Rakfisk production and other local news

The latest news from Innlandet in the past 48 hours includes rakfisk production in Valdres, the case concerning the new Mjøsbru bridge, and the mobilisation of the mayors of Os, Tolga and Engerdal against the relocation of Fosen reindeer. In Kongsvinger, a school closure has been rejected, according to NRK Innlandet.

Innlandet news: the rakfisk industry in Valdres

In Trøsvik, in Nord-Aurdal municipality (Valdres), near Slidrefjorden, the smallest local rakfisk operation is continuing its business. Audun Trøsvik runs the company his parents started on the farm in 1973. The operation produces 12 tonnes per year, a modest volume that enables it to make a living, according to NRK Innlandet. The producer says this volume is sufficient to sustain the business.

At Wangensten, in Leira (Nord-Aurdal municipality), the volumes are on a different scale. Production starts with 200 tonnes of fish and results in approximately 130 tonnes of finished product. The autumn months are the busiest. In total, about 600,000 vacuum-packed packages are prepared. Valdres has several rakfisk producers, 6 of which are grouped under the protected designation association “Rakfisk fra Valdres.” Wangensten is targeting turnover of 40 million kroner this year, according to NRK Innlandet.

The Trøsvik farm is one of the Valdres producers that raise their own fish. The fish is born, raised, and processed in the region, according to the same source. This local industry combines farming, processing, and sales, with production concentrated in the autumn.

New Mjøsbru: Ministry favours a route close to the old bridge

The Ministry of Climate and the Environment recommends abandoning the southern route for the new Mjøsbru and building a new bridge along the current bridge, according to NRK Innlandet. The ministry believes that national cultural and environmental values should weigh more heavily than a possible saving of about one minute of travel time. The southern solution would affect several automatically protected cemeteries, an old inhabited site and important areas for fish and several threatened bird species.

The municipalities of Gjøvik and Ringsaker, the county governor of Innlandet and Innlandet fylkeskommune supported the southern route. The mayors of Ringsaker and Gjøvik say they are disappointed, but point out that the final decision rests with the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap). The government must decide before Christmas, according to NRK Innlandet.

Rennes Fosen: The mayors of Os, Tolga and Engerdal, three municipalities in Nord-Østerdalen, (Nord-Østerdalen) remain opposed

The three mayors of Os, Tolga and Engerdal appeared together with a clear message: they do not want Fosen reindeer in their municipalities. They met with the ministers for Agriculture, Energy and Local Government, according to NRK Innlandet. The state is considering using Håmmålsfjellet-Sålekinna in Nord-Østerdalen as replacement pasture for around 2 000 domestic reindeer following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Fosen case. Nearly 1 400 consultation responses are overwhelmingly negative.

In 2021, the state lost before the Supreme Court. The country’s highest court ruled that the construction of more than 150 wind turbines at Fosen violated the Sámi people’s right to practise reindeer husbandry. Since then, the government has concluded that it will continue operating the wind turbines. The solution must provide replacement pasture, but local elected representatives are challenging the proposed site, according to NRK Innlandet.

Local decisions and economic life

In Kongsvinger, a school closure was rejected, according to NRK Innlandet. In Hamar, a multi-billion-kroner technology building project near Mjøsa has been rejected by businesses, reports Hamar Arbeiderblad (05/11 02h). In Gudbrandsdalen, the government wants to declare a restaurant bankrupt while a new company is ready to take it over, according to GD (Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen) (05/11 05h). A teacher, Sissel, warns after the closure of a swimming pool: she believes swimming can save lives (GD Gudbrandsdølen, 05/11 03h).

These Innlandet news stories also highlight local initiatives. Research into diet drinks is presented as being just as effective as water for weight loss, according to Hamar Arbeiderblad (04/11 21h). After a fire in a building in Hamar, the neighbourhood rallied to support those affected, with numerous donations, reports Hamar Arbeiderblad (04/11 21h).

📌 Local briefs

A fire broke out in a residential building in Hamar. The automatic alarm was triggered at 01:23. More than ten emergency vehicles, including an ambulance helicopter, were sent to the scene. Thirteen people were evacuated, including six children. Fifteen people were in the building when the fire started, according to NRK Innlandet. The fire may have started on the second floor. Firefighters were expected to continue extinguishing the blaze in the morning.

A motorcyclist was recorded at an average speed of at least 218 km/h in an area with a speed limit of 80 km/h on the E6 above the Dovrefjell mountain plateau (a mountain range in central Norway, in Innlandet county). He did not appear in court in Vågå on Wednesday. His lawyer, Tore Angen, requested a postponement but was not granted one, according to NRK Innlandet. A local man was detained with a knife at the railway station, GD Gudbrandsdølen reports (05/11 04:00). The Hamar Arbeiderblad newspaper reports that a hospital triggered a full emergency alarm (05/11 03:00).

Sources: NRK Innlandet, Hamar Arbeiderblad, GD Gudbrandsdølen, The Local Norway — Period: 04 November 2026 and 05 November 2026