Seal hunting

The documents say nothing about seal hunting for sale. The closest principle is comprehensive work for rich ecosystems and strict environmental legislation, as well as the warning against overuse of natural resources. Making licensed seal hunting easier and allowing sales of skins and meat would build up a commercial interest in hunting a protected species, which runs in the opposite direction.

• protection of ecosystemsdecisive»skapa goda villkor för rika ekosystem, bland annat genom att återställa« (party programme ↗)“create good conditions for rich ecosystems, among other things by restoring”
• protect biological diversity»Ett ständigt överutnyttjande av naturens resurser leder till kraftig utarmning av den biologiska mångfalden och växthusgasutsläpp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Constant overuse of natural resources leads to severe depletion of biological diversity and greenhouse gas emissions.”
• ambitious environmental targets»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental targets that are followed up with strict legislation and practical work.”

The plan does not address seal hunting or trade in seal products. The closest principles are protection of biological diversity and that agriculture and fishing policy should be based on environmental considerations and ethical animal husbandry, which do not support making licensed seal hunting easier and allowing sale of hides and meat. The position is therefore derived and uncertain.

• protect biological diversitydecisive»biologiska mångfalden måste skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“biological diversity must be protected.”
• threatened biological diversity»Samtidigt accelererar artdöden och den biologiska mångfalden hotas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At the same time, species extinction is accelerating and biological diversity is threatened.”
• ethical animal husbandry»och etisk djurhållning är grundprinciper.« (party programme ↗)“and ethical animal husbandry are fundamental principles.”

The plan's starting point is that all animals have an intrinsic value regardless of utility to humans, that nature conservation interests take precedence in hunting and that hunting methods that subject animals to unnecessary suffering shall not be allowed. Making license hunting of seals less costly and opening for sale of seal skins and seal meat creates commercial incentives for increased hunting. The plan instead wants the ocean's ecosystem to set the limits for the take.

• animals' intrinsic valuedecisive»Alla djur har ett egenvärde oavsett deras nyttighet« (party programme ↗)“All animals have an intrinsic value regardless of their utility”
• nature conservation interests in hunting»fokus vid jakt och att naturvårdsintressen får« (party programme ↗)“focus in hunting and that nature conservation interests take”
• no unnecessary animal suffering»Jaktformer som utsätter djur för onödigt lidande« (party programme ↗)“Hunting methods that subject animals to unnecessary suffering”
• ecosystem-based marine management»låt ekosystemen i haven sätta gränserna för hur mycket fisk som får fångas, inför en ekosystembaserad havsförvaltning och gå över till skonsamma fiskemetoder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“let the ecosystems in the oceans set the limits for how much fish can be caught, introduce ecosystem-based marine management and move to gentle fishing methods.”

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 protects small-scale fishing and sport fishing from damage and states that agriculture, fishing and hunting should lead in sustainable food production, while active wildlife management is advocated. Making licensed seal hunting less costly and allowing hides and meat to be sold is in line with both this and the requirement to streamline complex rules. However, the plan does not address seal management itself.

• protect small-scale fishingdecisive»Skadlig bottentrålning ska inte få förstöra för varken havsmiljön, den småskaliga fiskenäringen eller sportfisket.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Harmful bottom trawling must not be allowed to damage either the marine environment, the small-scale fishing industry or sport fishing.”
• active wildlife management»ska kombineras med en aktiv förvaltning av rovdjur och klövvilt« (party programme ↗)“should be combined with active management of predators and hoofed wildlife”
• agriculture, fishing and hunting»Svenskt jordbruk, fiske och jakt ska ta ledningen« (party programme ↗)“Swedish agriculture, fishing and hunting should lead”
• streamline complex rules»Dyra, krångliga och innovationshämmande regelverk ligger som en våt filt över delar av landsbygden. Vi ska rensa upp bland överflödiga regler och byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expensive, complex and innovation-hindering rules lie like a wet blanket over parts of rural Sweden. We should clean up unnecessary rules and bureaucracy.”

Seal hunting and trade in seal products are not addressed in the documents. Closest is that the ruleset should favour small-scale and coastal fishing and stewardship thinking about responsible use of nature's resources, which suggests that culled seals should be utilized rather than discarded. That the state shall seek cooperation with landowners and local populations in wildlife management points in the same direction, but the evidence is weak.

• favour coastal fishingdecisive»Regelverket ska gynna småskaligt och kustnära fiske« (party programme ↗)“The ruleset should favour small-scale and coastal fishing”
• responsible resource use»ett ansvarsfullt nyttjande av naturens resurser.« (party programme ↗)“responsible use of nature's resources.”
• cooperation in wildlife management»markägare och lokalbefolkning i naturvård och viltförvaltning.« (party programme ↗)“landowners and local populations in nature conservation and wildlife management.”

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 party programme sees hunting and wildlife management as applied stewardship and establishes that stewardship is not passive preservation but responsible use and enhancement of resources. To allow sale of seal skin and seal meat and make license hunting less costly is exactly such use, and it additionally strengthens a viable fishing industry that the plan values. However the seal question is not explicitly mentioned.

• use, not passive preservationdecisive»Förvaltarskapsprincipen innebär inget passivt bevarande, utan ett ansvarsfullt brukande och förädlande av tillgångarna.« (party programme ↗)“The stewardship principle means nothing passive preservation, but responsible use and enhancement of resources”
• hunting as stewardship»dessutom ett tydligt exempel på tillämpat förvaltarskap« (party programme ↗)“moreover a clear example of applied stewardship”
• viable fishing industry»Den svenska fiskerinäringen måste ges förutsättningar att även i framtiden vara livskraftig« (party programme ↗)“Swedish fishing industry must be given preconditions to also in future be viable”
• wildlife management and diversity»Jakt, fiske och viltvård är en del i bevarandet av den« (party programme ↗)“Hunting, fishing and wildlife management are a part in the preservation of”

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 explicitly wants to let hunters sell wild boar meat directly to consumers and that hunting shall not be made more difficult for the individual hunter. The same principle carries the counter-proposal's requirement that seal skin and seal meat be allowed to be sold and that hunting licence for seals becomes less costly. The plan moreover wants to protect the fishing industry against reduced stocks, which speaks for population-regulating seal hunting.

• sale of game meat alloweddecisive»Låta jägare sälja vildsvinskött direkt till konsumenter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Let hunters sell wild boar meat directly to consumers”
• hunters' conditions simplified»Vi ska stoppa jakten på jägarna och rädda fiskerinäringen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall stop hunting pressure on hunters and save the fishing industry”
• protect the fishing industry»Fiskerinäringen har drabbats hårt av minskade bestånd på senare år« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The fishing industry has been hard hit by reduced stocks in recent years”
• less administration for hunters»Arbeta för kortade handläggningstider för vapenlicenser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for shortened processing times for firearm licenses”

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 incentives to increase hunting, among other things by making it easier for hunters to sell meat directly to restaurants and other customers, and wants to simplify meat sales. The same stewardship principle of balance between humans and animals and between different animal species applies to the seal population. The counter-proposal's demand to enable sales of seal skin and seal meat and make licensed hunting less costly is therefore supported, albeit derived from the hunting section.

• incentives to increase huntingdecisive»Det behövs incitament för att öka jakten, bland annat genom att underlätta för jägarna att sälja vildsvinskött direkt till restauranger och andra kunder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Incentives are needed to increase hunting, among other things by making it easier for hunters to sell wild boar meat directly to restaurants and other customers.”
• simplified meat sales»Förenkla försäljningen av vildsvinskött« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Simplify the sales of wild boar meat”
• management for balance»Det finns behov av att långsiktigt förvalta bestånden av vilt för att uppnå en god balans mellan människor och djur – liksom mellan olika djurarter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“There is a need to long-term manage wildlife populations to achieve a good balance between humans and animals – as well as between different animal species.”
• facilitate hunting at high populations»Underlätta jakt i områden med mycket vilt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Facilitate hunting in areas with abundant wildlife”

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.