Public procurement of food

The plan demands that today's meat consumption is changed to more energy-efficient food consumption with an increased share of plant-based products and that all animal husbandry is based on the understanding that animals are sentient beings. It also makes public procurement an important tool in the transformation, where purchases should prioritize sustainable solutions. Steering public food procurement toward organic animal husbandry and less but better animal products is therefore the plan's own line.

• reduce meat consumptiondecisive»Dagens köttkonsumtion, som leder till klimatförändringar, skövling av regnskog och överutnyttjande av vatten« (party programme ↗)“Today's meat consumption, which leads to climate change, forest destruction and overuse of water”
• procurement as a steering tool»Offentlig upphandling är ett viktigt verktyg för omställningen.« (party programme ↗)“Public procurement is an important tool for the transformation.”
• better animal husbandry»All djurhållning ska därför utgå från att djur är kännande varelser« (party programme ↗)“All animal husbandry should therefore be based on the understanding that animals are sentient beings”
• sustainable purchasing requirements»tjänster ska premiera effektiv energianvändning och hållbara lösningar« (party programme ↗)“services should prioritize efficient energy use and sustainable solutions”

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 safe food, environmental considerations and ethical animal farming fundamental principles and wants agricultural policy designed for sustainable farming, and the plan requires public purchasers to be models. This speaks for public food procurement actively steering towards better animal farming and sustainability. However, there is no target for 80 per cent organic in the plan, which is why the assessment is uncertain.

• ethical animal farmingdecisive»och etisk djurhållning är grundprinciper.« (party programme ↗)“and ethical animal farming are fundamental principles.”
• sustainable farming»kraven på ekologisk uthålligt åkerbruk och säkra livsmedel.« (party programme ↗)“the requirements for ecologically sustainable farming and safe food.”
• environmental considerations in production»Hänsynen till miljöns krav ska byggas in i produktionsprocesserna redan från början.« (party programme ↗)“Consideration of environmental requirements shall be built into production processes from the start.”
• public procurement as a model»offentliga arbetsgivare och upphandlare ska vara föredömen i att verka för en sund konkurrens.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“public employers and purchasers shall be models in working for sound competition.”

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 the transition to organic farming should be supported through the regulations for public procurement and that strict animal welfare requirements should be set in public procurement. The counter-proposal's requirement that procurement actively steers towards organic animal husbandry and towards reduced but better animal production is thus the plan's own direction. The plan also explicitly requires that consumption of animal products decreases.

• organic through public procurementdecisive»regelverk för offentlig upphandling och genom« (party programme ↗)“regulations for public procurement and through”
• animal welfare requirements in procurement»annat ställas i den offentliga upphandlingen.« (party programme ↗)“otherwise set in public procurement.”
• decreased animal product consumption»fossil energi och animalier, måste minska.« (party programme ↗)“fossil energy and animal products, must decrease.”
• support for organic transition»ge mer stöd till lantbruket för omställning till ekologisk odling, återskapande av naturbetesmarker och andra miljöinsatser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“provide more support to agriculture for transition to organic farming, restoration of natural pastures and other environmental measures.”

The plan's commitment is more local and climate-smart food and strengthened competitiveness for green industries and Swedish agriculture, with increased food production. A political quantitative target of 80 per cent organic in public consumption and a steering away from animal products is a different kind of steering than the plan advocates and is rejected by the line against planned economy directives.

• local and strengthened competitivenessdecisive»Vi ska arbeta för mer närodlad och klimatsmart mat och ett levande, hållbart jordbruk som bidrar till den biologiska mångfalden. Vi vill stärka de gröna näringarnas konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall work for more local and climate-smart food and a living, sustainable agriculture that contributes to biological diversity. We want to strengthen the competitiveness of green industries.”
• strengthened agricultural 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, shall be strengthened.”
• increased food production»Matproduktionen måste öka, på kort och lång sikt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Food production must increase, in the short and long term.”

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The plan wants to phase out market-distorting regulations in agricultural policy, let agriculture bear its own environmental and climate costs and steer with general, technology-neutral economic instruments rather than with politically set consumption targets. A goal of 80 percent organic public food consumption is precisely such directed steering of production form, and procurement should according to the plan give taxpayers low costs. The counter-proposal's requirements are thus rejected in substance, even though the plan's animal welfare requirements pull partly in the opposite direction.

• no market-distorting steeringdecisive»Samtliga direktstöd och marknadsstörande regleringar« (party programme ↗)“All direct support and market-distorting regulations”
• cost-bearing instruments»Jordbruket ska i likhet med andra sektorer bära sina egna miljö- och klimatkostnader« (party programme ↗)“Agriculture shall, like other sectors, bear its own environmental and climate costs”
• cost-effective procurement»Offentlig upphandling ska ske på sätt som ger skattebetalarna låga kostnader,« (party programme ↗)“Public procurement shall be conducted in a way that gives taxpayers low costs,”
• consumer and sustainability perspective»Jordbruks- och livsmedelspolitiken ska ha ett tydligt konsument- och hållbarhetsperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Agricultural and food policy shall have a clear consumer and sustainability perspective.”

The manifesto prioritizes Swedish agriculture's competitiveness and self-sufficiency, and the plan wants to utilize Sweden's own preconditions for environmentally friendly and safe food production with general means rather than detailed steering. A quantitative goal of 80 percent organic and steering away from animal products is such detailed steering that disadvantages Swedish production. However, the plan's animal welfare requirements do provide partial support for improved animal husbandry.

• agriculture's competitivenessdecisive»Regeländringar och kostnadslättnader för svenskt lantbruk för att öka Sveriges självförsörjning och stärka lantbrukets konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Regulatory changes and cost reductions for Swedish agriculture to increase Sweden's self-sufficiency and strengthen agriculture's competitiveness.”
• Swedish food production»Sverige bör ta till vara sina mycket goda förutsättningar för miljövänlig och säker produktion« (party programme ↗)“Sweden should make use of its very good preconditions for environmentally friendly and safe production”
• general means»Näringspolitiken ska bedrivas med generella medel,« (party programme ↗)“Economic policy must be conducted with general means,”
• respect for animals»så att djuren behandlas med respekt och omtanke.« (party programme ↗)“so that animals are treated with respect and care.”

The plan's stated line is to support, not control, agriculture and forestry and to reduce costs for Swedish farmers through fewer rules and lower fees. A political goal that 80 percent of public food consumption should be organic and steering away from animal products is precisely the detailed control the plan rejects. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• support not control agriculturedecisive»Vi ska stötta, inte styra, jord- och skogsbruket« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall support, not control, agriculture and forestry”
• increased domestic production»Stärka jordbruket för att öka den inhemska produktionen av livsmedel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen agriculture to increase domestic food production”
• fewer rules for agriculture»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”
• lower costs for livestock husbandry»Sänka slakteriavgifterna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower slaughter fees”

The election manifesto's line for foodstuffs is increased Swedish competitiveness and self-sufficiency as well as increased export of food, and environmental measures should be chosen based on the most environment per krona. A binding goal of 80 percent organic in public procurement and steering towards reduced animal production pulls in the opposite direction. The plan instead protects animal husbandry through compensation to those who maintain higher standards than the EU, not through organic quotas.

• competitiveness and self-sufficiencydecisive»Öka det svenska jordbrukets konkurrenskraft och Sveriges självförsörjning av livsmedel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase Swedish agriculture's competitiveness and Sweden's self-sufficiency in foodstuffs”
• increased food exports»Bidra till minskade utsläpp genom att öka exporten av mat, varor och tjänster« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Contribute to reduced emissions by increasing the export of food, goods and services”
• environmental efficiency per krona»Sträva efter miljöeffektivitet och hitta de åtgärder som ger mest miljö per krona« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strive for environmental efficiency and find the measures that provide the most environment per krona”
• compensation for high animal husbandry standard»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 livestock farmers who maintain a higher standard of animal husbandry than what applies generally in the EU and give compensation for adapted care of sensitive nature rather than for reserve creation.”

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.