Prior Norge is a defunct Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 white meat

White meat

White meat or light meat refers to the lighter-colored meat of poultry as contrasted with dark meat. In a more general sense, white meat may also refer to any lighter-colored meat, as contrasted with red meats like beef and some types of game....

 and egg

Egg (food)

Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...

 processing company organised as an agricultural cooperative. The company merged with Gilde Norsk Kjøtt

Gilde Norsk Kjøtt

Gilde Norsk Kjøtt is a defunct Norwegian red meat processing company organised as an agricultural cooperative. The company was by far the largest processor in the country when it merged with Prior Norge in 2006 to create Nortura. The company had gradually grown together as the slaughter...

 in 2006 to create Nortura

Nortura

Nortura is a Norwegian agricultural cooperative that operates slaughterhouses and other processing plants related to meat and eggs. The company was created as a merger between Gilde Norsk Kjøtt and Prior Norge in 2006, and has head offices in Oslo...

. The Prior

Prior (brand)

Prior is a brand name used by Nortura on its eggs and white meat . The brand dates back to 1977 when Norsk Eggcentral rebranded Sol-egg to Prior. The brand was owned by Prior Norge until 2006 when it merged with Gilde Norsk Kjøtt to form Nortura.-External links:* *...

 brand is still used.

History

The first national union of the egg cooperative was founded on October 25, 1919 when six local egg centres created Norske Eggcentral A/L. At this time 30% of all Norwegian household

Household

The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....

s (180,000) their own hens

Chicken

The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

. By 1929 eggs compromised 98% of the revenue of Norske Eggcentral, white meat 2%.

The central started with quality sorting and marking of all eggs in 1934 and the brand Sol-egg was introduces. During and after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 there was rationing of eggs in Norway, but this was suspended in 1949. In the 1950s the egg central started active marketing through advertisements and in 1977 the Sol-egg brand was replaced with the Prior

Prior (brand)

Prior is a brand name used by Nortura on its eggs and white meat . The brand dates back to 1977 when Norsk Eggcentral rebranded Sol-egg to Prior. The brand was owned by Prior Norge until 2006 when it merged with Gilde Norsk Kjøtt to form Nortura.-External links:* *...

 brand on all eggs and white meat.

During the 1990s the Norwegian chicken race was replaced by a more meat filled, Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 rase called Ross

Ross

Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...

. In 1999 the company changed name to Prior Norge and two years later organised as a corporation

Corporation

A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...

 with egg packaging facilities and slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse

A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...

s owned by three regional companies. These were again merged in 2003. By 2005 the white meat sector had passed the egg sector in revenue. On 1 November 2006 Prior merged with Gilde Norsk Kjøtt to create Nortura. The Prior brand still lives on.