Lantmännen's Patrik Myrelid spoke about strengthened food preparedness at an information meeting in the Swedish Parliament
Lantmännen's Head of Strategy, Patrik Myrelid, was invited as a speaker at the information meeting about the current government investigation "Food preparedness for a new era" (”Livsmedelsberedskap för en ny tid”). Hushållningssällskapet was the organiser and the meeting was opened by Ingrid Petersson, an investigator for the government inquiry. The inquiry proposes, among other things, that the state should create emergency stocks of grain and agricultural inputs with the aim of increasing society's resilience and room for maneuver in the event of a crisis or war. Mikael Oscarsson (KD) gave the Defence Commission's (“Försvarsberedningens”) perspective by describing the threat scenario and the need to strengthen civil defence, of which food is a central part.
Patrik Myrelid gave a lecture on the theme of food preparedness, with the motto "from just-in-time to just-in-case". In particular, the importance of stockpiling inputs and cereals close to where they are to be consumed was emphasized, so as not to become dependent on transport and its infrastructure. It is also important, Patrik said, to take a broad view of the storage issue and aim to keep all domestic value chains going in both plant and animal products. It is not only a question of planning for the storage of grain, but also of mineral fertilisers, seeds, plant protection, feed materials and fuel. An important part of the whole is a Swedish plant nutrition strategy, including building a Swedish production of green mineral fertilisers.
Patrik Myrelid comments on the meeting as follows.
"A broad and increased commitment to the issue of preparedness is welcome. The conclusions of the investigation are good. What is most critical right now is the financing and getting started in the near future with emergency stockpiling in practice. These need to be built up over several years so as not to risk disrupting the market.
Facts about the information meeting
Participants:
Ingrid Petersson, utredare
Jenny Asplund, KSLA
Karin Brynell, Svensk Dagligvaruhandel
Paul Robertson, Hushållningssällskapet
Patrik Myrelid, Lantmännen
Moderators:
Magnus Oscarsson, riksdagsledamot (KD)
Bo Selerud, förbundsdirektör och vd, Hushållningssällskapet.
Place and time:
Thursday, March 21, 2024, Nubian Room in the Swedish Parliament.
For more information, please contact:
Lantmännen Press Office
Phone: +46 10 556 88 00
E-mail: press@lantmannen.com
About Lantmännen
Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products. Owned by 18,000 Swedish farmers, we have 12,000 employees, operations in over 20 countries and an annual turnover of SEK 70 billion. With grain at the heart of our operations, we refine arable land resources to make farming thrive. Some of our best-known food brands are AXA, Bonjour, Kungsörnen, FINN CRISP, Schulstad and Vaasan. Our company is founded on the knowledge and values acquired through generations of farmers. With research, development and operations throughout the value chain, together we take responsibility from field to fork. For more information: www.lantmannen.com
