Europe<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cThe regulations they have there are suitable for countries that live next to each other, but I am fearful that if it is a yes, the uncertainty will make it quite hard for us to see where we are going, so that will put everything at a bit of a halt.\u201d<\/p>\nIceland\u2019s current farming system was built on the country being a lone independent state in the Atlantic with unique weather conditions, he says. \u201cWe can figure it out ourselves. We make trade agreements with everyone around us, we try to take off the tariffs and have free trade with the products we really need, we put tariffs on the products we are trying to produce here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He understands that high food costs are frustrating for consumers, but believes it is worth it. \u201cThere is a high cost to food security in Iceland. But there is an even bigger cost to losing that and being dependent.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EU vote taps into a sense of lament among some in Iceland that in a globalised, highly connected world the country\u2019s foundation in agriculture and fishing \u2013 central to life there until a few decades ago \u2013 is being rapidly forgotten.<\/p>\n
Dav\u00ed\u00f0 says that 30 years ago children came to work on the farm in the summer, but machinery and specialisation mean that is no longer possible.<\/p>\n
Sigurr\u00f3s Birta J\u00f3hannsd\u00f3ttir, an agricultural science student, will also vote no on Saturday. Photograph: Sigga Ella\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Sigurr\u00f3s Birta J\u00f3hannsd\u00f3ttir, 22, visited the farm on an educational visit with a coach load of other agriculture students. J\u00f3hannsd\u00f3ttir, who works on a farm that she will take over in the future, will be voting no on Saturday because she believes that negotiations will only slow down progress and cost money.<\/p>\n
Supporters believe joining the EU could help bring down the high cost of living and inflation in Iceland, and would be good for the country\u2019s security.<\/p>\n
K\u00e1ri B\u00f6\u00f0varsson, a retired fisher, is planning to vote \u2018yes\u2019. Photograph: Sigga Ella\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
At his home by the sea in \u00deorl\u00e1ksh\u00f6fn, K\u00e1ri B\u00f6\u00f0varsson, 79, says he plans to vote yes, despite being right-leaning politically. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re on the right or on the left, what your opinion is, people are just voting across politics,\u201d the retired fisher says.<\/p>\n
He is an outlier at the gym among his training buddies, where discussions can get quite heated. He enjoys provoking them but he will be glad when the debate is over. \u201cWe have to trust these people to negotiate well for us because why shouldn\u2019t they?\u201d he says. \u201cBut the \u2018no\u2019 people don\u2019t trust them.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to fishing, there is not much the EU can do to win back power over fishing quotas from the big fishing companies to individuals, K\u00e1ri says. But perhaps it could help with housing costs.<\/p>\n
The prime minister, Kristr\u00fan Frostad\u00f3ttir, says Iceland should seize the chance to take the first step to join the EU. Photograph: Sigga Ella\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
At a public meeting in Reykjav\u00edk, the prime minister, Kristr\u00fan Frostad\u00f3ttir, told a packed Icelandic-flag-waving house that joining the EU was a \u201cunique opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIceland\u2019s sovereignty is not a museum piece that we keep in a cupboard while isolating ourselves from other countries,\u201d she said, to cheers.<\/p>\n
She said it was also \u201cgood timing\u201d for Iceland\u2019s security \u2013 not just in light of the US and its unpredictable economic and geopolitical moves, but also China. \u201cThis isn\u2019t about being afraid,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about being prepared and seizing opportunities when they arise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Psychology students at the University of Iceland, Reykjav\u00edk. Saga Gautad\u00f3ttir, right, agrees with arguments on both sides, while Anna Mar\u00eda Magn\u00fasd\u00f3ttir, second left, says she has not yet made up her mind. Photograph: Sigga Ella\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
But at the University of Iceland in Reykjav\u00edk, Kristr\u00fan and the yes campaign still have some convincing to do before polling stations open at 9am on Saturday. The first results are expected between 10pm and midnight.<\/p>\n
Student Saga Gautad\u00f3ttir, 20, is considering spoiling her ballot because she agrees with arguments on both sides. Anna Mar\u00eda Magn\u00fasd\u00f3ttir, 20, has not made up her mind yet how to vote, she says, sitting in the sunshine on campus with friends. \u201cI just want the best for our country, whichever one it is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a long time, the prospect of becoming the third generation to run his family farm was an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875686,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-875685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}