Protection of Agricultural Land

The election manifesto makes investments in sustainable food production an important part of the green transition and establishes that the countryside must not be impoverished and that food shall come from our own Swedish countryside. The party programme makes long-term environmental considerations overriding when interests are weighed against each other. Strengthened protection of viable agricultural land with clearer decision-making basis follows from these commitments, even though the plan does not explicitly mention farmland protection.

• sustainable food productiondecisive»En annan viktig del i den gröna omställningen är satsningar på hållbar livsmedelsproduktion.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Another important part of the green transition is investments in sustainable food production.”
• Swedish food production»Hälsosammare mat från vår egen svenska landsbygd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Healthier food from our own Swedish countryside.”
• environmental considerations paramount»de långsiktiga miljöhänsynen måste vara överordnade« (party programme ↗)“long-term environmental considerations must be paramount”
• the countryside must not be impoverished»Oavsett var i landet vi bor så har vi ett gemensamt intresse av att landsbygden inte utarmas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Regardless of where in the country we live, we share a common interest in the countryside not being impoverished.”

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 requires that agricultural policy is designed for sustainable arable farming and safe food and states that natural resources are already being used beyond the limit of long-term sustainability and must be used more efficiently. The election manifesto warns that drought can destroy crops and wants to strengthen preparedness. Stronger protection of usable agricultural land against exploitation thus follows from the plan, even though the protection of arable land is not addressed explicitly.

• sustainable arable farming and food securitydecisive»kraven på ekologisk uthålligt åkerbruk och säkra livsmedel.« (party programme ↗)“the requirements for ecologically sustainable arable farming and safe food.”
• stewardship of natural resources»naturtillgångar och ekosystem utnyttjas i dag över gränsen för det långsiktigt hållbara« (party programme ↗)“natural resources and ecosystems are being used today beyond the limit of long-term sustainability”
• secure crops and preparedness»Stärk beredskapen mot extremväder. Annars riskerar skyfall att svämma över städer, torka slå ut hela skördar och skogsbränder att breda ut sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen preparedness for extreme weather. Otherwise, there is a risk that heavy downpours will flood cities, drought will destroy entire crops and forest fires will spread.”
• efficient land use»Naturtillgångarna måste användas mer effektivt« (party programme ↗)“Natural resources must be used more efficiently”

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 explicitly says that land policy must be long-term and that good agricultural land shall be protected from exploitation, and that it is of great importance to preserve agricultural land and its fertility. The counter-proposal's requirement for strengthened protection of arable land through clearer decision-making basis, clearer definition of substantial public interest and cooperation between authorities is a direct application of this. The election manifesto's commitment to increased self-sufficiency in staple foods points in the same direction.

• protect agricultural landdecisive»Markpolitiken i Sverige måste vara långsiktig och goda jordbruksmarker ska skyddas från exploatering.« (party programme ↗)“Land policy in Sweden must be long-term and good agricultural land shall be protected from exploitation.”
• preserve the soil's fertility»I en värld med ökande befolkning är det av stor vikt att bevara jordbruksmarken och dess bördighet.« (party programme ↗)“In a world of growing population it is of great importance to preserve agricultural land and its fertility.”
• self-sufficiency in staple foods»stärka det svenska jordbruket för ökad självförsörjning med baslivsmedel, och stödja övergången till ett ekologiskt och hållbart jordbruk med fossiloberoende arbetsmaskiner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen Swedish agriculture for increased self-sufficiency in staple foods, and support the transition to an ecological and sustainable agriculture with fossil-free work machines.”
• environmental considerations before exploitation»Miljöhänsyn ska väga tyngre än kortsiktiga exploateringsintressen.« (party programme ↗)“Environmental considerations shall weigh heavier than short-term exploitation interests.”

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 states that arable land is a limited resource that must be better protected, which is precisely what the counter-proposal requires. It moreover requires increased food production and food security, which presupposes that usable agricultural land is not exploited away. The plan moreover requires that authorities work sparingly with land when new land is taken for use.

• skydda åkermarkendecisive»Åkermarken är en begränsad tillgång som måste skyddas bättre.« (party programme ↗)“Arable land is a limited resource that must be better protected.”
• ökad matproduktion»Matproduktionen måste öka, på kort och lång sikt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Food production must increase, in the short and long term.”
• marksnålt markanspråk»Statliga myndigheter måste samverka och arbeta marksnålt när man tar ny mark i anspråk för väg, tåg, el, etc.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“State authorities must cooperate and work sparingly with land when new land is taken for roads, railways, electricity, etc.”
• livsmedelsberedskap»Den är viktig i goda tider och livsviktig i händelse av krig eller kris.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is important in good times and vital in the event of war or crisis.”

The party programme establishes that conservation of fertile agricultural land is important for food security, that fertility is threatened by development for housing, industry and infrastructure, and that other land should be used for construction where possible. The counter-proposal's demand for strengthened protection of arable land with clearer decision-making basis and definition of essential public interest follows directly from this. The plan's desire to build more housing does not change that it points to arable land as worthy of protection.

• build on land other than arable landdecisive»Om möjligt ska annan mark användas för byggnationer.« (party programme ↗)“Where possible, other land should be used for construction.”
• conserve fertile agricultural land»Bevarandet av bördig jordbruksmark är viktig för matförsörjningen av den växande världsbefolkningen.« (party programme ↗)“Conservation of fertile agricultural land is important for food security of the growing world population.”
• development threatens fertility»Samtidig hotas bördigheten av klimatförändringar, erosion och bebyggelse för bostäder, industri och« (party programme ↗)“At the same time fertility is threatened by climate change, erosion and development for housing, industry and”
• sustainable food security»Ett kretslopp där näringen går från jord till bord och sedan tillbaka till jorden är avgörande för en hållbar« (party programme ↗)“A cycle where nutrients go from soil to table and then back to the soil is crucial for a sustainable”

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 says explicitly that it is in the long term necessary that arable land in Sweden can be used for food production and that the stewardship principle shall guide a secure food supply. Strengthened protection of productive agricultural land with clearer requirements on decision basis follows directly from that, as does the election manifesto's goal of increased self-sufficiency. The plan at the same time does not want the regulatory system to create unnecessary obstacles to housing construction, which sets a limit on how the protection is designed.

• arable land for food productiondecisive»det långsiktigt nödvändigt att åkermarken i Sverige« (party programme ↗)“it is in the long term necessary that arable land in Sweden”
• secure food supply»Förvaltarskapsprincipen ska vara vägledande vid utformandet av en säker livsmedelsförsörjning.« (party programme ↗)“The stewardship principle shall be guiding in the design of a secure food supply.”
• increased self-sufficiency»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.”
• regulations must not prevent construction»men ett riksintressesystem och strandskyddsregler får« (party programme ↗)“but a national interest system and coastal protection regulations must”

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 makes increased self-sufficiency and reduced vulnerability into commitments and wants to strengthen agriculture to increase domestic food production and strengthen the food strategy. Agricultural land that is exploited away undermines that goal, which supports clearer protection of productive agricultural land. That the plan also wants to strengthen ownership and usage rights and reduce regulatory red tape makes the support conditional: the protection must not become a new burden for the user.

• increased self-sufficiencydecisive»Det nya säkerhetsläget i Europa gör att vi som land måste minska vår sårbarhet och öka vår självförsörjningsgrad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The new security situation in Europe means that we as a country must reduce our vulnerability and increase our self-sufficiency.”
• more domestic food production»Stärka jordbruket för att öka den inhemska produktionen av livsmedel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen agriculture to increase domestic food production”
• strengthened food strategy»Förstärka livsmedelsstrategin« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the food strategy”
• farmer's ownership rights»Stärka ägande- och brukanderätten för jordbrukare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen ownership and usage rights for farmers”

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 commitment is to increase agriculture's competitiveness and Sweden's self-sufficiency in food and that agricultural land is cultivated. Stronger protection of cultivable agricultural land against exploitation, with clearer decision basis and a narrower interpretation of substantial public interest, serves that goal. The plan's simultaneous emphasis on strengthened property rights sets a limit to how far the protection should go.

• self-sufficiency in fooddecisive»Öka det svenska jordbrukets konkurrenskraft och Sveriges självförsörjning av livsmedel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase Swedish agriculture's competitiveness and Sweden's self-sufficiency in food”
• agricultural land shall be cultivated»Att jordbruksmarken brukas och att igenväxning motverkas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That agricultural land is cultivated and that reversion to wilderness is prevented”
• protect agriculture»Det svenska jord- och skogsbruket ska värnas och bidra till svensk konkurrenskraft, goda miljöstandarder, öppna landskap och svensk självförsörjning och export.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish agriculture and forestry shall be protected and contribute to Swedish competitiveness, good environmental standards, open landscapes and Swedish self-sufficiency and export.”
• strengthened property rights»Stärka äganderätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen property rights”

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.