Lantmännen welcomes Jordbruksverket’s inquiry into strengthening food production in northern Sweden
"It is an important and welcome inquiry. If food production is to grow in northern Sweden, we need long-term conditions that give both farmers and the food industry better scope to invest and increase output—especially in livestock production," says Per Arfvidsson, Deputy CEO at Lantmännen.
According to Lantmännen, it is particularly positive that the report more clearly opens the door for investment and transport support to also cover slaughterhouses, not only dairies. This could help reduce bottlenecks in the processing chain and make it more attractive to invest in increased capacity.
"To strengthen food security and preparedness, we need to increase both primary production and food production in northern Sweden as well. Capacity and logistics must be expanded, and that requires support schemes and regulations that are more precisely designed in the most critical parts of the chain, such as transport and processing. The long distances in northern Sweden are a clear competitive disadvantage that must be addressed," says Patrik Myrelid, Head of Strategy at Lantmännen.
According to Lantmännen, a holistic approach is required, where research and development, primary production, processing, and logistics are developed in parallel. Scan Sverige’s acquisitions of Delsbo Slakteri and Jämtlandsgården, together with the ongoing feasibility study into a potential new slaughterhouse in northern Sweden, are examples that the industry is prepared to invest—provided conditions are predictable and long-term.
"Lantmännen operates across the entire value chain, with 17,000 farmers as owners, and our strength lies in the whole—from field to fork. When crop production and livestock production develop together, Swedish agriculture is strengthened, forming a foundation for a strong and sustainable food supply over time," says Per Arfvidsson, Deputy CEO at Lantmännen.
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