Animal welfare and competitiveness

The party programme explicitly establishes that long animal transports shall be abolished and that all animal husbandry shall be based on the fact that animals are sentient beings that shall be given a good life. The counter-proposal's requirements for stricter transport rules and protected animal welfare are thus directly what the plan requires. That animal welfare at the same time would benefit food production's competitiveness changes nothing in substance.

• abolish long animal transportsdecisive»Långa djurtransporter« (party programme ↗)“Long animal transports”
• animals are sentient beings»All djurhållning ska därför utgå från att djur är kännande varelser« (party programme ↗)“All animal husbandry shall therefore be based on the fact that animals are sentient beings”
• phase out animal factories»onödiga djurförsök ska avskaffas och så kallade djurfabriker samt« (party programme ↗)“unnecessary animal experiments shall be abolished and so-called animal factories and”

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.

The programme makes ethical animal husbandry a fundamental principle for agriculture and food policy and sets the consumer perspective before producer interests. The counter-proposal's demand to protect and develop animal welfare, including through stricter transport rules, follows directly from this. The claim that strong animal protection also provides competitive advantages does not conflict with the plan's demands for ecologically sustainable agriculture.

• ethical animal husbandrydecisive»och etisk djurhållning är grundprinciper.« (party programme ↗)“and ethical animal husbandry are fundamental principles.”
• consumer before producer interest»producentintresset, ska vara utgångspunkten för en politik där säkra livsmedel, miljöhänsyn« (party programme ↗)“producer interests, shall be the starting point for a policy where safe food, environmental considerations”
• sustainable agriculture»Jordbrukspolitiken ska utformas för att tillgodose« (party programme ↗)“Agricultural policy shall be designed to provide”

The election manifesto demands that animal suffering in transport and slaughter be minimized and that animal welfare in the EU be sharpened significantly. The party programme wants that sufficient resources be set aside for frequent and effective inspections of animal husbandry, transports and slaughter and that the animal welfare issue be included in trade agreements, which is also the plan's answer to the competition question. The counter-proposal's demand for stricter rules for animal transport is therefore fully supported.

• minimize suffering in transportdecisive»minimera djurs lidande vid transport och slakt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“minimize animal suffering in transport and slaughter.”
• sharpened animal welfare in the EU»Djurskyddet i EU måste skärpas rejält.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Animal welfare in the EU must be sharpened significantly.”
• frequent inspections of transport»effektiva kontroller av såväl djurhållning som« (party programme ↗)“frequent and effective inspections of both animal husbandry as”
• animal welfare in trade agreements»handelsavtal ska inkludera djurskyddsfrågan för att« (party programme ↗)“trade agreements shall include the animal welfare issue to”

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.

The party programme makes animal welfare directives part of the goal of safe, locally produced food and states humanity's special responsibility for other living creatures. The counter-proposal links the same thing to competitiveness, which is close to the plan's line that green industries' competitiveness should be strengthened with sustainable and credible agriculture. However, that specifically animal transport rules are tightened is not stated in the plan.

• animal welfare in fooddecisive»trygga livsmedel – närproducerade och i enlighet med djurskyddsdirektiven« (party programme ↗)“safe food - locally produced and in accordance with animal welfare directives”
• responsibility for animals»Människan har ett särskilt ansvar att agera så att andra levande varelser också kan fortleva.« (party programme ↗)“Humanity has a special responsibility to act so that other living creatures can also survive.”
• strengthen competitiveness»Vi vill stärka de gröna näringarnas konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen the green industries' competitiveness.”
• agriculture's competitiveness»Det svenska lantbrukets konkurrenskraft, både inom EU och gentemot övriga världen, ska förstärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish agriculture's competitiveness, both within the EU and against the rest of the world, should be strengthened.”

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 states that all animal husbandry must guarantee animals a dignified life and a decent death and that how we treat our animals is a measure of our civilization and a prerequisite for good public health. The counter-proposal's requirement that animal protection be valued and developed, among other things with stricter transport rules, is a direct application of this. The plan also links food policy to a clear sustainability perspective, which aligns with the competitiveness argument.

• dignified life for animalsdecisive»djurhållning måste garantera djuren ett värdigt liv och en anständig död.« (party programme ↗)“animal husbandry must guarantee animals a dignified life and a decent death.”
• animal protection as civilization measure»Hur vi hanterar våra djur är ett mått på vår civilisation och en förutsättning för en god folkhälsa.« (party programme ↗)“How we treat our animals is a measure of our civilization and a prerequisite for good public health.”
• sustainability in food policy»Jordbruks- och livsmedelspolitiken ska ha ett tydligt konsument- och hållbarhetsperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Agriculture and food policy shall have a clear consumer and sustainability perspective.”

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.

The plan explicitly establishes that long-distance animal transport should be avoided to the greatest possible extent and that strict rules should apply during transport, and that animal health and their physiological and behavioral needs should guide animal husbandry. Protecting and developing animal welfare with stricter transport rules follows directly from this. The requirement for cost relief for agriculture is a counterweight but does not nullify the animal welfare commitment.

• limit long-distance animal transportdecisive»Långväga djurtransporter ska undvikas i största möjliga utsträckning.« (party programme ↗)“Long-distance animal transport should be avoided to the greatest possible extent.”
• animal needs guide animal husbandry»djurens hälsa främjas och hänsyn tas till djurens fysiologiska och beteendemässiga behov« (party programme ↗)“animal health is promoted and consideration is given to animals' physiological and behavioral needs”
• stewardship over animals»ska präglas av förvaltarskap, så att djuren behandlas med respekt och omtanke« (party programme ↗)“should be characterized by stewardship, so that animals are treated with respect and care”
• relief for agriculture»Regeländringar och kostnadslättnader för svenskt lantbruk för att öka Sveriges självförsörjning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Regulatory changes and cost relief for Swedish agriculture to increase Sweden's self-sufficiency”

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.

The plan's line on agriculture is to support, not control: fewer rules, shorter processing times and lower costs for farmers. Tightened national rules for animal transport instead impose new requirements at a time when the plan wants to increase domestic food production, and the plan also wants to avoid Swedish requirements beyond the EU level. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• fewer rules for agriculturedecisive»Minska antalet regler för jordbruket och korta handläggningstider för miljötillstånd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the number of rules for agriculture and shorten processing times for environmental permits”
• support not control farming»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 the conditions for running a farm by lowering taxes, which we have already started doing on fuel, and reduce regulatory red tape so that the costs of administration go down.”
• increased domestic production»Stärka jordbruket för att öka den inhemska produktionen av livsmedel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen agriculture to increase domestic food production”
• no Swedish exceptions»motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut« (2022 manifesto ↗)“counteract overimplementation in Sweden of EU decisions”

The plan explicitly wants to prohibit export and import of live animals for slaughter precisely to reduce painful transports, and establishes that animals' legal protection shall be strengthened. The counter-proposal's demands for stricter rules for animal transport are thus the plan's own line. The plan moreover connects high animal protection with competitiveness and wants Swedish animal husbandry standards to become EU standard.

• stricter rules for animal transportdecisive»Förbud av export och import av levande djur för slakt bör också införas för att minska plågsamma transporter och säkerställa att dålig djurhållning inte blir en konkurrensfördel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prohibitions on export and import of live animals for slaughter should also be introduced to reduce painful transports and ensure that poor animal husbandry does not become a competitive advantage.”
• strengthened animal protection»Stärka djurs rättsliga skydd och status« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen animals' legal protection and status”
• Swedish standard as EU norm»Sverigedemokraternas ambition är att svensk standard vad gäller djurhållning ska bli standard för hela EU.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats' ambition is for Swedish standards regarding animal husbandry to become the standard for the entire EU.”
• compensation for higher animal protection»Sverigedemokraterna vill också ersätta djurhållare som håller en högre standard för djurhållning än vad som gäller i EU generellt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats also want to compensate animal husbandry operators who maintain a higher standard for animal husbandry than is generally applicable in the EU”

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.