The Swedish Government has restated its ambitious targets for organic food and farming, as part of the latest action plan for Sweden’s national food strategy.
The national food strategy was agreed by Sweden’s Parliament (Riksdag) in 2014, with an end date of 2030. It is implemented in three action plans covering the years 2014-2019, 2020-2025 and 2025-2030 respectively.
In late December (2019) the government agreed the details of Action Plan II, 2020–2025 and allocated annual funding of approx €12M per year (with an extra €11M for 2020) or a total of €M 70 over the five years.
While the strategy covers a full range of food and production types, the significant news for the organic sector was that the Government restated its aim to see 30% of all farmland under organic systems by 2030 (compared to the current share of around 20%). There was confirmation too from the Government that is sticking to its target of 60% of food in served public kitchens to be organic in the year 2030 (compared to about 35% today).
While the targets are not incorporated into legislation, or backed with specific funding, they send a strong signal about the Sweden’s commitment to expanding its organic food and farming sectors.
Photo: Sara Ängfors, KRAV