Rural affairs

On Friday 17 January, Minister for Rural Affairs Jennie Nilsson will open the Swedish stand at International Green Week in Berlin, the world’s largest food exhibition for consumers. For the third year in a row, a Swedish stand will be in place, showcasing food and beverages from more than 20 Swedish producers. On the same day, Ms Nilsson will also meet a large number of ministerial colleagues from around the world and showcase Swedish food and beverages for German consumers.

Targeted cod fishing in the eastern Baltic Sea will be banned in 2020, and the opportunities for cod fishing in the western part will be substantially reduced. This was agreed by the EU ministers of agriculture and fisheries on 14–15 October. Minister for Rural Affairs Jennie Nilsson represented Sweden.

Opening remarks by Minister for Rural Affairs, Jennie Nilsson at the Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue, Umeå, 4 October, 2019.

On 17 May 2018, the Government adopted a strategy for Sweden’s National Forest Programme. In July 2018, the Government adopted an action plan with specific measures. The action plan will be updated in dialogue with interested parties.

State Secretary Lisa Backteman raised the importance of continued close dialogue and cooperation around the Baltic when BALTFISH (a forum for discussion Baltic Sea Fisheries) met in Stockholm.

Rescue services, government agencies and local authorities are engaged in intensive efforts in response to the forest fires raging around the country, the widespread drought and the ongoing heat wave. More information about these efforts is available below. Crisis preparedness is part of the remit of every government agency and authority.

The extreme drought of recent months has had an impact on the Swedish agricultural sector. The Government is following developments closely and continues, alongside government agencies and other actors, to seek solutions to the challenges emerging so as to alleviate the situation for farmers now and in the future.

Total investments in the area of environment and climate for 2018 amount to SEK 5 billion, allocated to several different expenditure areas. Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog is proud that Sweden has once again presented a budget with a clear environmental profile.

The Food Strategy is a platform that sets out the direction of our policy towards 2030, to create stability and ensure a long-term approach. Concrete measures are put forward in the Government’s action plan stemming from areas identified in the strategy. Some, but not all, of the actions can be realised by the Government. To be successful, the entire food supply chain need to work in the same direction, where as many as possible are contributing. With the Food Strategy as foundation, we will be able to meet the challenges facing us and strengthen the Swedish food supply chain.

Swedish food creates jobs, sustainable growth and values for society as a whole. In addition to meeting the demand for food, we gain open landscapes and lively rural communities. The national food strategy will help strengthen competitiveness and to ensure the potential of Swedish food production is fully realised to the benefit of actors and stakeholders throughout the entire food supply chain – from primary production all the way to the consumer.

The Government is launching five innovation partnership programmes to help meet a range of the societal challenges that Sweden is facing. These programmes involve new ways of travelling, residing, doing business, living, communicating, and using and preserving the world’s resources and ecosystems. Partnership between public actors, business and academia creates new, innovative solutions that strengthen competitiveness, contribute to sustainable development and create more jobs.

On the afternoon of 12 May, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet left Sweden following a three-day State Visit. The President was in Sweden at the invitation of HM the King. This was the first State Visit by a Chilean president to Sweden. Several of the Government ministers took part in the programme. The purpose of the visit was to broaden and deepen bilateral relations between Chile and Sweden.

On 10 May, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet began her State Visit to Sweden. The President is visiting Sweden at the invitation of HM the King. The Visit will last from 10 to 12 May and is the first incoming State Visit from Chile to Sweden.

Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), Mauretanien, 3 February 2016. Check against delivery.

Following five days of intensive negotiations in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the 162 member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were able to reach a new global trade agreement. The agreement includes regulations for export support for agricultural products, preferential treatment for least-developed countries and a separate agreement to eliminate tariffs on technology products. Liberia and Afghanistan were welcomed as new members.

On 26 May 2015 the European Commission approved the Swedish Rural development program. The Rural Development Programme is the government's main tool for rural development. The fact sheet explains the content of the programme.

Forests and agriculture were in the spotlight on 1 December at the COP21 climate conference. The Government has chosen to support two initiatives. The first aims to reduce deforestation, restore degraded forests and secure communities’ rights to sustainably use the forests they live and work in. The second initiative aims to improve the potential of agricultural land to contribute to food production and climate change efforts.

A Swedish maritime strategy – for people, jobs and the environment. Summary.

Minister for Rural Affairs Sven-Erik Bucht took part in a high-level Forest Europe Ministerial Conference in Madrid on 20 October. For the first time, Sweden has now taken a seat on the Forest Europe General Coordinating Committee.

In this tenth volume of the Swedish FAO Committee’s series of discussion papers, the significance of water for food security, globally and for different groups of people, is discussed.