Biodiversity

Biodiversity describes the variation between and within species that is present on our planet. Loss of biodiversity puts the ecosystems ability to, for example purify water and air, pollinate, create stable population of bacteria and worms that helps degradation, at risk.

The planet’s biodiversity is threatened in many ways. Changed land use,  road construction, expansion of real estate, non-sustainable agricultural methods, overexploitation for example deforestation or non-sustainable fishing, and the fact that we get new species of plants, animals and parasites, affect the biodiversity in a negative way. Effects of climate change is expected to impact as well as an increased pressure on the planet to provide a growing population with food and energy.

In Sweden, many of the threats are mitigated and reduced, for example the use of pesticides and problems with acidification. There are new red flags and warnings, such as an decreased number and presence of pollinators, that play an important role for farming.

Prioritized issue globally and nationally

Biodiversity is a prioritized issue globally and nationally, and it clarified in for example the UN Convention on Biodiversity, as one of the UN Sustainability Development Goals according to Agenda 2030 (SDG 15, that Lantmännen has identified as business critical) and in the Swedish national environmental  objectives.   

The role of agriculture

Food and energy production is based on a well-functioning eco system and thereby biodiversity, and because of that a very important question for the Swedish agriculture.

Despite all the good activities, farming has had and still has, an impact on environment, animals and insects, and parts of today's cropping system gives less space for some species to thrive.  It also affects through use of fertilizers, plant protection and emissions from other activities to land, water and air. The production of food, feed and energy leads to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impact. Farming also plays an important role. Many insects and plants are completely dependent on an, by animals at pasture, open landscape with a variety of species, for example several red listed species.

Lantmännens’s role

Lantmännen wants to decrease impact in the different parts of the value chain and works to, in a short and long-term perspective, contribute to protect and strengthen biodiversity.  

Lantmännen’s operations are affecting biodiversity in several ways. In the farming, on our owners’ land, the dependency and impact is the most significant, but Lantmännen also sources raw materials from other countries.  

Lantmännen’s real estate and new production sites also has an impact, but are primarily in areas already used for industry or other land use.  

Vad Lantmännen does:

We work to reduce the negative impact and to protect and strengthen biodiversity. We work to reduce impact for example by:  

• Developing new metods for plant protection, for example chemical free seed treatment such as Thermoseed and Cedomon/Cerall

• Precision farming in the field to optimize all parts of the farming for a maximized with the least input and environmental impact. For example to optimise the seed depending on the soil, the use of plant nutrients and protection and the use of GPS to minimise overlap and reduce the time with tractor in  the field

• Plant breed to create resistent plats that minimizes the need of plant protection

• Specific requirements for purchase of high risk materials such as soy and palm oil  

• Climate strategy with targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

• The Climate & Nature cultivation program promotes biodiversity through criteria for skylark plots and flower zones. By the end of 2023 the cultivation program reached 24,710 skylark plots and 4,128,800 m2 flower zones  

Lantmännen works protect and strengthen biodiversity. The work is primarily within the development of farming concepts where actions for biodiversity is a component.  

• Develop the farming concept Climate&Nature with added values based on biodiversity, for example lark squares that favors larks and insects