Agriculture's competitiveness

The plan wants to see investments in sustainable food production and comprehensive work for rich ecosystems, of which the biological diversity of pasture land is a part, while the state has particular responsibility for food self-sufficiency. A programme that strengthens profitability in pasture-based production in rural areas also aligns closely with the plan's requirement that natural resource values stay in the countryside. At the same time, the plan wants to see a shift toward more sustainable eating habits, which makes the support conditional.

• 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.”
• food self-sufficiency»Staten har ett särskilt ansvar att se till« (party programme ↗)“The state has particular responsibility to ensure”
• rich ecosystems»Sverige behöver också ett medvetet och heltäckande arbete med att« (party programme ↗)“Sweden also needs deliberate and comprehensive work to”
• value stays in the countryside»Mer av naturresursernas värden måste stanna kvar där de utvinns och produceras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value of natural resources must stay where they are extracted and produced.”

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 a thriving Swedish food production that strengthens self-sufficiency and a rural policy for prosperity throughout the country, at the same time that biological diversity should be protected. A programme that strengthens profitability in pasture-based lamb and beef production on natural pastures combines precisely these goals. However, the plan does not particularly mention natural pastures.

• strengthened self-sufficiencydecisive»Livskraftig svensk livsmedelsproduktion som stärker landets självförsörjningsförmåga.« (party programme ↗)“Thriving Swedish food production that strengthens the country's self-sufficiency.”
• protected biological diversity»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable nature and water environments.”
• vibrant rural areas»Landsbygdspolitik för utveckling och välstånd i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Rural policy for development and prosperity throughout the country.”
• sustainable resource use»Hållbar utvinning och användning av naturresurser, med ekonomisk kompensation till« (party programme ↗)“Sustainable extraction and use of natural resources, with economic compensation to”

The plan wants to provide more support to agriculture for restoring natural grazing meadows and other environmental measures, and is built on a landscape with grazing animals that keep the natural grazing meadows open and create habitats for a large diversity. A specific programme for profitability in grazing-based lamb and beef production serves precisely that purpose. The plan simultaneously wants consumption of animal food products to decrease, which limits but does not eliminate the support.

• support for natural grazing meadowsdecisive»ge mer stöd till lantbruket för omställning till ekologisk odling, återskapande av naturbetesmarker och andra miljöinsatser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“provide more support to agriculture for switching to organic cultivation, restoring natural grazing meadows and other environmental measures.”
• grazing animals for biological diversity»Med ett landskap rikt på småbiotoper och betesdjur som ger gödsel, håller naturbetesmarkerna öppna och skapar livsmiljöer för en stor mångfald av växter, djur och svampar.« (party programme ↗)“With a landscape rich in small biotopes and grazing animals that provide manure, keep the natural grazing meadows open and create habitats for a large diversity of plants, animals and fungi.”
• promote small-scale sustainable farming»Små och medelstora lantbruk som bygger på lokala kretslopp, hållbara och ekologiska brukningsmetoder och en god djurhållning ska främjas.« (party programme ↗)“Small and medium-sized farms based on local cycles, sustainable and organic farming methods and good animal husbandry shall be promoted.”
• reduced meat consumption»Konsumtionen av animaliska livsmedel behöver minska, medan konsumtionen av vegetabilier bör öka.« (party programme ↗)“Consumption of animal food products needs to decrease, while consumption of vegetables should increase.”

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 wants to strengthen the competitiveness of the green industries and requires an even more competitive agriculture with increased food production, while nature conservation and biological diversity shall be developed. The party programme emphasizes that Swedish animal husbandry contributes to an open landscape. A special programme for profitability in sheep and beef production on semi-natural pastures unites precisely these commitments.

• strengthened competitiveness of green industriesdecisive»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 locally grown and climate-smart food and a living, sustainable agriculture that contributes to biological diversity. We want to strengthen the competitiveness of the green industries.”
• competitive agriculture»Sverige behöver ett ännu mer konkurrenskraftigt jordbruk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs an even more competitive agriculture.”
• animal husbandry for open landscapes»Svensk djuruppfödning bidrar också till ett öppet landskap och möjliggör produktion av biogas.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish animal husbandry also contributes to an open landscape and enables biogas production.”
• increased food production and preparedness»Matproduktionen måste öka, på kort och lång sikt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Food production must increase, in the short and long term.”

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 wants agriculture to be compensated for collective benefits such as nature management and preserved biological diversity, and for direct support to be phased out in favour of investments in landscape management and environmental protection. Natural pastures are precisely such a collective benefit, and a programme that strengthens profitability in grazing on these pastures therefore lies in line with the plan. The plan says nothing about precisely a special lamb and beef programme.

• compensation for collective benefitsdecisive»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 benefits such as nature management and preservation of biological diversity.”
• investments in landscape management»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 there is a need for increased investments in landscape management, environmental protection and preserved biological diversity.”
• restoration of natural types»För att bevara och utveckla den biologiska mångfalden i form av olika naturtyper och arter behövs ökade restaureringsinsatser och fler skyddade sammanhängande områden både på land och i vatten.« (party programme ↗)“To preserve and develop biological diversity in the form of different natural types and species, there is a need for increased restoration efforts and more protected contiguous areas both on land and in water.”
• protect biological diversity»Då behöver vi fortsätta arbetet med att skydda både värdefull natur och den biologiska mångfalden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Then we need to continue the work of protecting both valuable nature and biological diversity.”

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 rejects direct company subsidies and wants business policy to be conducted with general means, with targeted actions only as a complement to general stimulus measures. A special new programme for profitability in lamb and beef production on natural pasture land is exactly such a targeted sectoral investment. The election manifesto's recipe for agriculture is regulatory changes and cost reductions, not new support programmes. The demand is rejected, even though the plan values biological diversity in the agricultural landscape.

• no to direct company subsidiesdecisive»Direkta företagssubventioner avvisas.« (party programme ↗)“Direct company subsidies are rejected.”
• general business policy means»Näringspolitiken ska bedrivas med generella medel, det vill säga syfta till att skapa goda förutsättningar för företagande över hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Business policy shall be conducted with general means, i.e. aimed at creating favourable conditions for business across the whole country.”
• regulatory reductions instead of new programmes»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.”
• general stimulus measures first»Regionalpolitiken ska medverka till att en god grund för näringslivet i sysselsättningssvaga områden skapas i första hand genom generella stimulansåtgärder.« (party programme ↗)“Regional policy shall contribute to creating a good foundation for business in employment-weak areas primarily through general stimulus measures.”

The plan's stated line for agriculture is to support, not steer: better profitability should be achieved through lower taxes and reduced regulatory red tape, not through new targeted programmes. A special programme for lamb and beef production on nature meadows is precisely such selective steering that the plan rejects. That the plan also wants to strengthen the food strategy and increase domestic production does not change the method choice.

• support not steer agriculturedecisive»Vi ska stötta, inte styra, jord- och skogsbruket« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must support, not steer, agriculture and forestry”
• lower taxes for agriculture»Moderaterna vill förbättra förutsättningarna att driva lantbruk genom att sänka skatterna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderates want to improve the conditions for running agriculture by lowering taxes”
• 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”
• strengthened food strategy»Förstärka livsmedelsstrategin« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the food strategy”

The plan seeks to increase national funding in agriculture for environmental benefit and increased productivity and replace appropriately managed sensitive nature care instead of reserve designation. It also states that active agriculture is the prerequisite for biological diversity in the agricultural landscape and that encroachment must be prevented. A special programme for profitability in sheep and beef production on natural grasslands is precisely such a measure. Therefore, the plan supports the counter-proposal's demands.

• increased national agricultural fundingdecisive»Öka den nationella finansieringen i jordbruket, för miljönytta och produktivitetsökning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase national funding in agriculture, for environmental benefit and increased productivity”
• compensation for nature-conserving management»ge ersättning för anpassad skötsel av känslig natur snarare än för reservatsbildning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“provide compensation for adapted management of sensitive nature rather than for reserve formation”
• prevent encroachment»Att jordbruksmarken brukas och att igenväxning motverkas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That agricultural land is cultivated and that encroachment is prevented”
• increased food self-sufficiency»Öka det svenska jordbrukets konkurrenskraft och Sveriges självförsörjning av livsmedel« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase Swedish agriculture's competitiveness and Sweden's self-sufficiency in food”

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.