Lantmännen and industry leaders urge the government in an op-ed: include food supply targets in the budget
Lantmännen, Arla, Livsmedelsföretagen, LRF, and Scan Sverige urge the government, in an op-ed in Altinget, to include national food supply targets in the budget bill. The aim is to underscore that agriculture and food production are critical national resources.
This is highlighted in the op-ed.
– The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on ports and refineries in the Middle East show how quickly Sweden’s food preparedness can be threatened when fuel and fertilizer prices surge.
– Sweden still lacks national and concrete food supply targets, despite several years of crises and a more uncertain security environment. As the op-ed puts it: “Theories do not plow fields, produce food, or feed people.”
– The parties behind the op-ed have also produced a new report, Grön uppväxling, which concludes that Sweden can increase food production while also meeting climate and environmental targets. With the right investments, it is possible to strengthen competitiveness, preparedness, and sustainability from field to fork. A total of 19,000 new jobs could be created across the country.
– The signatories to the op-ed are united in their way forward: “We want to, and can, increase the production of Swedish raw materials, food, and beverages.”
– That is why Lantmännen, Arla, Livsmedelsföretagen, LRF, and Scan Sverige urge the government to adopt and follow up the supply targets developed by the Swedish Board of Agriculture, for example through the budget bill. Clearer governance, annual follow-up, and long-term conditions are needed.
The op-ed is signed by Per Arfvidsson, Deputy CEO of Lantmännen; Cecilia Kocken, CEO of Arla Sweden; Björn Hellman, CEO of Livsmedelsföretagen; Erik Pihlo, Acting CEO of LRF; and Lars Appelqvist, CEO of Scan Sverige.
Read the op-ed in Altinget (in Swedish).
For more information, please contact:
Lantmännen's Press Office
Tel: +46 10 556 88 00
E-mail: press@lantmannen.com
About Lantmännen
About Lantmännen: Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, bioenergy and food products. Owned by 17,000 Swedish farmers, Lantmännen has more than 10,000 employees, operations in over 20 countries and an annual turnover of SEK 60 billion. With grain at the heart of the operations, Lantmännen refines arable land resources to make farming thrive. Some of Lantmännen’s best-known food brands are AXA, Kungsörnen, Scan, GoGreen, FINN CRISP, Schulstad and Vaasan. The company is founded on the knowledge and values acquired through generations of farmers. By engaging in research, development and operations throughout the value chain, Lantmännen takes responsibility from field to fork.
For more information: www.lantmannen.com
