We are pleased that the Minister of Rural Affairs so clearly shares the view that the new legislation on organic production within the EU makes development in Sweden more difficult.

From now on, this is a question of where the government and the EU committee have their loyalties. Is it with Swedish farmers, the Swedish food industry, the Swedish environmental movement and Swedish consumers or is it with the EU Commission?

We understand that the negotiating game within the EU is difficult and that not everyone can have everything. But the question of new eco-rules has not yet been finally decided and Sweden's action may be the tongue in cheek to pass the proposal. An important detail is that Sweden, in the preliminary vote in the Standing Committee on Agriculture in Brussels, conditioned its yes on the fact that parliamentary approval was also needed at home in Sweden. This clearly means that the Swedish position can be changed if the EU committee goes against the government's intention to vote yes.

We believe that the EU Committee should do this. Partly because the possibility exists and partly because the information that the EU Committee received from the government at the last draw was incomplete and in some parts incorrect. Here are some concrete examples. No relevant Swedish impact assessments of the bill have been made, in the manner alleged before the EU Committee. Association Ekologiska Lantbrukarna har inte uttryckt att de nya kraven på enbart ekologiska avelsdjur är okej, inte ens med en övergångstid på 15 år – tvärt om. Antalet företag med växthusproduktion i upphöjda bäddar är betydligt fler än vad som angavs inför EU-nämnden. De står sannolikt för cirka 25 procent av den totala svenska ekologiska växthusproduktionen. Regeringen påstod också att nästan alla viktiga frågor är lösta, inklusive den om tillgång till utsäde. Detta stämmer inte. Tillgången till utsäde i ekologisk produktion kan bli en av de största hämskorna för svensk ekologisk produktion om den nya lagen antas. Ledamöterna i EU-nämnden bör ta sig en allvarlig funderare på om de hade bifallit ett svenskt ja med de här förhållandena klara för sig.

In a press release on June 30, where the Swedish turnaround in the issue is announced, Sven-Erik Bucht concludes with the following quote: “For me, it is important that a new regulation improves the conditions for organic production in Sweden to increase and develop in line with the goals in the food strategy. "

It sounds good. Action is now needed to show that the statement is serious. Sweden can, with the help of the EU Committee, change its position again and this can be of decisive importance in the final vote in the Council of Ministers. In several other countries, the issue is being fully discussed and as recently as May, 17 of 28 EU countries were against the agreement. Germany, among others, may now be heading for a no. It is not possible to sit back and state that Sweden's voice is irrelevant. The coming weeks will provide answers to where the government and the EU committee have their loyalties.

(Photo: Gozha Net)

Published in SvD 2017-10-25