Animal welfare and outdoor access

The plan states that all animal husbandry shall be based on the understanding that animals are sentient creatures who should live good lives, which speaks to higher common minimum requirements in the EU. The plan moreover explicitly favours inter-state agreed minimum rules as a way forward when binding cooperation is needed, and wants to defend and build further on the environmental progress made within the EU. Stronger compensation that does not disadvantage countries with strict animal protection aligns with the plan's view of sustainable agriculture.

• animals are sentient creaturesdecisive»All djurhållning ska utgå från att djur är kännande« (party programme ↗)“All animal husbandry shall be based on the understanding that animals are sentient”
• common minimum rules»samarbeten är mellanstatligt överenskomna minimiregler vanligtvis« (party programme ↗)“cooperation inter-state agreed minimum rules usually”
• defend EU's environmental progress»De framsteg som trots förutsättningarna gjorts inom ramen för EU är« (party programme ↗)“The progress that despite the conditions has been made within the framework of the EU is”
• sustainable agriculture»Jordbrukets långsiktiga hållbarhet är viktig för både ekosystemen och« (party programme ↗)“Agriculture's long-term sustainability is important for both the ecosystems and”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not address animal welfare requirements directly, but it sees the EU as the platform for sharpening protection of environment and consumers at the European level, and wants Sweden to push forward in the EU. Raised common minimum standards and compensation that does not disadvantage countries with stricter rules also aligns with the plan's commitment to viable Swedish food production. However, the derivation is indirect.

• EU strengthens common protectiondecisive»plattform för att på europeisk nivå skärpa skyddet av miljö, konsumenter och löntagare.« (party programme ↗)“platform for sharpening protection of environment, consumers and employees at the European level.”
• viable food production»Livskraftig svensk livsmedelsproduktion som stärker landets självförsörjningsförmåga.« (party programme ↗)“Viable Swedish food production that strengthens the country's self-sufficiency.”
• Sweden pushing forward in the EU»Ett Sverige som driver på i EU och FN för att världens länder ökar sina« (party programme ↗)“A Sweden that pushes forward in the EU and UN for the world's countries to increase their”
• values-driven EU cooperation»Vi vill se ett EU som står upp för våra gemensamma värderingar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see an EU that stands up for our shared values.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto states that animal protection in the EU must be tightened substantially, and the party programme that high standards for animal welfare shall apply throughout the union while individual countries shall be able to go further. That is precisely the counter-proposal's two requirements: raised common minimum standards and compensation that does not disadvantage countries with stricter rules. The plan moreover promises economic compensation when high environmental requirements are placed on landowners.

• tightened animal protection in the EUdecisive»Djurskyddet i EU måste skärpas rejält.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Animal protection in the EU must be tightened substantially.”
• high EU requirements, national scope»Inom EU ska höga standarder för djurvälfärd gälla inom hela unionen, och enskilda medlemsländer ska kunna gå längre.« (party programme ↗)“Within the EU high standards for animal welfare shall apply throughout the union, and individual member states shall be able to go further.”
• driving animal welfare»Sverige ska vara ett föregångsland för djurvälfärd och arbeta aktivt i internationella« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall be a leading country for animal welfare and work actively in international”
• compensation for major requirements»När stora krav på hänsyn till klimat, natur och biologisk mångfald ställs på markägare ska de få ekonomisk ersättning.« (party programme ↗)“When major requirements for consideration of climate, nature and biological diversity are placed on landowners they shall receive economic compensation.”

The plan's main commitment in this area is that the competitiveness of Swedish agriculture within the EU shall be strengthened and that the green industries shall be strengthened. Raised common minimum requirements for animal welfare level the playing field against countries with lower standards and do not disadvantage Swedish farmers, while animal welfare improves throughout the union. Developed animal welfare allowances are in line with the plan's view on responsibility for animals and compensation for higher standards.

• agriculture's competitiveness in the EUdecisive»Det svenska lantbrukets konkurrenskraft, både inom EU och gentemot övriga världen, ska förstärkas.« (party programme ↗)“The competitiveness of Swedish agriculture, both within the EU and against the rest of the world, shall be strengthened.”
• strengthened green industries»Vi vill stärka de gröna näringarnas konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen the competitiveness of the green industries.”
• responsibility for animals»Människan har ett särskilt ansvar att agera så att andra levande varelser också kan fortleva.« (party programme ↗)“Humans have a special responsibility to act so that other living beings can also continue to exist.”
• stricter requirements in trade»Ställ hårdare krav på arbetsvillkor, miljö och klimat i handelsavtal.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Impose stricter requirements on working conditions, environment and climate in trade agreements.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that all animal husbandry must guarantee animals a dignified life and a decent death and that oversight of that EU rules are complied with must be strengthened. Raised common minimum requirements in the EU are the way to combine high animal welfare with even competition terms, which corresponds to the plan's line on harmonized regulations. That agriculture is compensated for collective utilities also gives support for developed animal welfare compensations.

• dignified animal husbandrydecisive»All djurhållning måste garantera djuren ett värdigt liv och en anständig död.« (party programme ↗)“All animal husbandry must guarantee animals a dignified life and a decent death.”
• strengthened animal welfare oversight»Kontrollen av att nationella lagar och EU-regler efterlevs måste skärpas.« (party programme ↗)“Oversight that national laws and EU rules are complied with must be strengthened.”
• compensation for collective utilities»Jordbruket ska i likhet med andra sektorer bära sina egna miljö- och klimatkostnader, men också ersättas för kollektiva nyttigheter som naturvård samt bevarande av den biologiska mångfalden.« (party programme ↗)“Agriculture shall, like other sectors, bear its own environmental and climate costs, but shall also be compensated for collective utilities such as nature conservation as well as preservation of biological diversity.”
• phased-out direct support»Samtliga direktstöd och marknadsstörande regleringar ska fasas ut så snart som möjligt, och i stället behövs ökade satsningar på landskapsvård, miljöskydd och bevarad biologisk mångfald.« (party programme ↗)“All direct support and market-distorting regulations shall be phased out as soon as possible, and instead increased investments in landscape conservation, environmental protection and preserved biological diversity are needed.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that the EU's agricultural policy guarantees good animal welfare and that Sweden actively works for a more environmentally adapted agriculture within the union. It also places on humans the responsibility to avoid stress, pain and injury to animals. Raised common minimum standards are the way to combine this with the plan's requirement for equal competitive conditions for Swedish farmers, which is exactly what the counter-proposal requests.

• good animal welfare in EU agricultural policydecisive»dessutom tjänar som garant för biologisk mångfald, god djurhållning och livsmedel« (party programme ↗)“moreover serves as a guarantee for biological diversity, good animal welfare and food”
• equal competitive conditions»dessa näringar ges likvärdiga konkurrensvillkor gentemot andra länder.« (party programme ↗)“these sectors are given equal competitive conditions against other countries.”
• Sweden should drive change in the EU»aktivt verka för ett mer miljöanpassat jordbruk inom EU.« (party programme ↗)“actively work for a more environmentally adapted agriculture within the EU.”
• animals should not suffer»undvika stress, smärta och skador för djuren« (party programme ↗)“avoid stress, pain and injury to animals”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal wants to raise EU's common minimum requirements for animal protection and develop animal welfare payments so that farmers in countries with strict legislation are not disadvantaged. The plan's agricultural line aims precisely to improve conditions for running farms and strengthen the food strategy, and common rules on the internal market even out the competitive disadvantages Swedish farmers bear from national special requirements. However, the plan does not directly address EU's animal protection rules, which is why the conclusion is uncertain.

• better conditions for farmingdecisive»Moderaterna vill förbättra förutsättningarna att driva lantbruk genom att sänka skatterna, vilket vi redan börjat göra på drivmedel, och minska regelkrånglet så att kostnaderna för administration går ner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderates want to improve conditions for running farms by lowering taxes, which we have already started doing on fuel, and reduce red tape so that administration costs go down.”
• equal conditions on the internal market»Fördjupa den inre marknaden, inte minst för tjänster och digitala produkter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Deepen the internal market, not least for services and digital products”
• strengthened food production»Förstärka livsmedelsstrategin« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the food strategy”
• limited EU agenda»EU:s fokus ska ligga på att lösa problem som Sverige inte kan hantera ensamt, till exempel handel, klimat, migration och säkerhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“EU's focus should be on solving problems that Sweden cannot handle alone, such as trade, climate, migration and security.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's stated ambition is that Swedish standard for animal husbandry shall become standard across the whole of the EU, which is precisely what the counter-proposal requires when it wants to raise EU's common minimum requirements. The plan also wants to compensate farmers who maintain higher standard than the EU generally, and specifically points out compensation for dairy cows' outdoor grazing. That compensations shall not disadvantage countries with stricter rules follows directly from the plan's criticism of uncompensated Swedish special requirements.

• Swedish animal welfare standard in EUdecisive»Sverigedemokraternas ambition är att svensk standard vad gäller djurhållning ska bli standard för hela EU.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats' ambition is that Swedish standard regarding animal husbandry shall become standard for the whole of the EU.”
• compensation for higher animal welfare»Sverigedemokraterna vill också ersätta djurhållare som håller en högre standard för djurhållning än vad som gäller i EU generellt och ge ersättning för anpassad skötsel av känslig natur snarare än för reservatsbildning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats also want to compensate farmers who maintain a higher standard for animal husbandry than what applies in the EU generally and provide compensation for adapted care of sensitive nature rather than for reserve formation.”
• grazing compensation to dairy farmers»Sverigedemokraterna vill ge svenska mjölkbönder en särskild ersättning för den merkostnad det innebär att låta mjölkkor beta utomhus om somrarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to give Swedish dairy farmers special compensation for the extra cost involved in allowing dairy cows to graze outdoors in the summers.”
• compensate Swedish special requirements»Svenska särkrav för miljöskydd och djurvälfärd gör dessutom ofta inhemsk produktion dyrare än konkurrenternas utan att svenska lantbrukare kompenseras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish special requirements for environmental protection and animal welfare also often make domestic production more expensive than competitors' without Swedish farmers being compensated.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.