Farm Sales of Alcoholic Beverages

The plan's core principle is that social and democratic rights are subordinate to the freedom of capital and that socially important activities should be taken back into collective management instead of being opened to the market. Farm sales without volume limits or purchase caps means a step away from the collective retail monopoly and thus a market opening in an area where the plan sees public health and class as decisive. The plan does not address farm sales directly, which is why the conclusion is derived.

• rights before freedom of capitaldecisive»demokratiska rättigheter ska överordnas kapitalets frihet.« (party programme ↗)“democratic rights should be subordinate to the freedom of capital.”
• take back collective activities»Det är hög tid att agera och ta tillbaka den samhällsviktiga verksamhet och infrastruktur som har privatiserats.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is high time to act and take back the socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized.”
• class and health»Precis som att klass påverkar människor i en pandemi, påverkar klass vår livslängd och möjlighet till ett bra liv utanför en pandemi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Just as class affects people in a pandemic, class affects our life expectancy and opportunity for a good life outside a pandemic.”

Farm sales of alcohol are not addressed in the documents. Closest principles are that children and young people shall have an upbringing free from drugs and that the consumer perspective, not producer interest, shall be the starting point for policy. The counter-proposal's demand for farm sales entirely without volume limitations or purchase caps puts producers' interest first, why the plan's principles weigh against it. Security is low since the subject matter is not addressed at all.

• public health before availabilitydecisive»och till en trygg uppväxt fri från droger och våld.« (party programme ↗)“and to a safe upbringing free from drugs and violence.”
• consumer before producer interest»producentintresset, ska vara utgångspunkten för en politik där säkra livsmedel, miljöhänsyn« (party programme ↗)“producer interest, shall be the starting point for a policy where safe foodstuffs, environmental consideration”

The party programme establishes that alcohol and other drugs cause society enormous costs and affected individuals great suffering, and holds a restrictive line where alcohol advertising shall be banned and public health is an overriding goal. Introducing farm sales entirely without volume limits or purchase caps expands access to alcohol and undermines the public-health-motivated monopoly. The counter-proposal's demand is therefore rejected.

• alcohol's societal costsdecisive»Alkohol och andra droger orsakar samhället« (party programme ↗)“Alcohol and other drugs cause society”
• public health as an overriding goal»Vi menar att en långsiktig satsning på folkhälsa« (party programme ↗)“We believe that a long-term investment in public health”
• restrictive alcohol policy»förbjudet, liksom reklam för spel och alkohol.« (party programme ↗)“banned, as is advertising for gambling and alcohol.”

The election manifesto explicitly demands that farm sales of alcohol are allowed to strengthen the tourism industry and develop the countryside, and calls it unreasonable that local producers cannot sell their products to visitors. The counter-proposal wishes to introduce exactly this without limitations that would exclude many farms, which lies in line with the plan's purpose. The reform is moreover counted among those that must come in place for rural competitiveness and people's self-determination.

• allow farm salesdecisive»Tillåt gårdsförsäljning av alkohol för att stärka besöksnäringen och utveckla landsbygden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Allow farm sales of alcohol to strengthen the tourism industry and develop the countryside.”
• freedom for local producers»Det är orimligt att lokala producenter av alkoholhaltiga drycker inte kan sälja sina produkter till besökare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is unreasonable that local producers of alcoholic drinks cannot sell their products to visitors.”
• reform for the countryside»Regelförenklingar, skattesänkningar, gårdsförsäljning av alkohol och ett mer tillväxtvänligt strandskydd är bara några av de reformer som måste komma på plats« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Regulatory simplifications, tax cuts, farm sales of alcohol and a more growth-friendly shoreline protection are just some of the reforms that must come in place”
• tourism industry's value»Besöksnäringen har stor betydelse för hela landets utveckling« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The tourism industry has great importance for development across the country”

The plan establishes that Sweden shall have a restrictive alcohol policy, that total alcohol consumption shall be kept down and that the Systembolaget monopoly on retail shall be kept. Farm sales without volume limits or purchase ceiling would open a new sales channel outside the monopoly and thus conflict with these commitments. The plan does not mention farm sales explicitly, so the position is derived from the restrictive line.

• retained retail monopolydecisive»Systembolagets detaljhandelsmonopol« (party programme ↗)“Systembolaget's retail monopoly”
• restrictive alcohol policy»Sverige ska ha en restriktiv alkoholpolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall have a restrictive alcohol policy.”
• low total alcohol consumption»alkoholkonsumtionen hålls nere, bland annat genom en hög alkoholskatt.« (party programme ↗)“alcohol consumption is kept down, among other things through a high alcohol tax.”
• public health over farming interests»I EU ska hänsynen till folkhälsan väga tyngre än jordbruksintressen.« (party programme ↗)“In the EU, considerations for public health should outweigh farming interests.”

The plan's alcohol policy commitment is to minimise harm through low total consumption, with sales monopoly and restrictive legislation as stated means, and monopoly is accepted precisely for public health reasons. Farm sales without volume limits or purchase caps increase accessibility and undermine these means. The plan's desire to facilitate differentiated rural enterprise pulls in the opposite direction.

• monopoly and restrictive legislationdecisive»aktiv prispolitik, försäljningsmonopol och en restriktiv lagstiftning« (party programme ↗)“active price policy, sales monopoly and restrictive legislation”
• low total consumption»alkoholskador genom en låg totalkonsumtion« (party programme ↗)“alcohol harm through low total consumption”
• monopoly for public health reasons»exempelvis av folkhälsoskäl.« (party programme ↗)“for example for public health reasons.”
• rural enterprise»Även differentierat landsbygdsföretagande ska underlättas.« (party programme ↗)“Also differentiated rural enterprise shall be facilitated.”

The plan wants small-scale producers to be able to sell directly to consumers and itself identifies such direct sales as a reform, while conditions for starting and growing should be good and red tape should be reduced. Farm sales without volume or purchase caps align with that line and with utilizing all of Sweden's opportunities. However, the plan does not address alcohol sales.

• direct sales to consumerdecisive»Låta jägare sälja vildsvinskött direkt till konsumenter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Allow hunters to sell wild boar meat directly to consumers”
• good conditions for entrepreneurs»Villkoren för att starta, växa och expandera behöver vara goda för att fler ska våga lämna trygga och välbetalda jobb för att starta företag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Conditions for starting, growing and expanding need to be good so that more dare to leave secure and well-paid jobs to start businesses.”
• reduced red tape»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove one third of companies' administrative costs and one third of red tape”
• all of Sweden's opportunities»Moderaterna vill ta vara på hela Sveriges möjligheter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderate Party wants to utilize all of Sweden's opportunities.”

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 seeks to harness the value of rural areas and make it easier to create more businesses and jobs there, through regulatory simplification and better conditions for new entrepreneurship across the country. Farm sales without volume caps or purchase caps, which do not exclude small farms, are a direct expression of that approach. However, the plan does not address alcohol legislation, so the conclusion is inferred.

• develop rural industrydecisive»Sverige behöver en politik som tar till vara värdet ute i landsbygden och som gör det enklare att i kombination med en väl avvägd miljöhänsyn att skapa fler verksamheter, jobb och ökad tillväxt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs a policy that harnesses the value of rural areas and makes it easier, in combination with well-considered environmental consideration, to create more businesses, jobs and increased growth.”
• business across the country»Underlätta för industri och näringsliv i hela landet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Facilitate industry and business across the country”
• stimulate new entrepreneurship»Skapa förutsättningar för nyföretagande och entreprenörskap« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Create conditions for new entrepreneurship and enterprise”
• regulatory simplification for small businesses»Verka för regelförenkling och avlasta småföretagens administrativa börda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for regulatory simplification and ease the administrative burden on small businesses”

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.