Response to interpellation 2023/24:269 on the balance between benefits and consequences of the swine fever restrictions
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the authorities have full confidence to make trade-offs between benefit and consequence 1 and that politicians should not micro-manage expert knowledge 2. KD emphasizes that the restrictions were necessary to stop the spread of infection 1 and that it is pleasing that the infected zone is now being reduced 1 3. KD considers that the expert authorities are best suited to decide on infection zones 4 and that those affected are entitled to compensation according to the legislation 2 3 4. S argues that there is frustration over the lack of support and compensation 5 and that the government is not acting to compensate those affected 6 7. S considers that the restrictions make it impossible to plow ice rinks 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Åsa Eriksson has asked me when I and the government intend to take the initiative for a balancing of the benefits and consequences of the restrictions that the Swedish Board of Agriculture has imposed on the entirety of Fagersta and almost all of Norberg.
On September 6, the very serious disease African swine fever was identified in Sweden for the first time ever. The outbreak itself was very serious, and a continued spread of the infection risked involving further consequences. Therefore, it has been extremely important to stop the spread of the infection as soon as possible. The authorities were clear that powerful measures were necessary in the initial stage of the fight to map the extent of the infection.
Åsa Eriksson has probably noted that since the question was written, significant relaxations in the restrictions have been introduced. It is a very welcome decision, but let me be clear that there is a hard and intensive work behind the possibility of such relaxations. From an international perspective, it is a unique situation we find ourselves in when there is now a possibility to make relaxations so early after the confirmed outbreak. At the same time, a very extensive containment work is ongoing, and based on information that emerges during the course of the work, the authorities may have to reconsider previous decisions.
It is pleasing that the infected zone has now been reduced. This means that certain areas that were previously covered by the zone are now completely free from restrictions, which is advantageous for private individuals, associations, and companies. The public can also now move in forest and land in the outer areas of the infected zone.
According to the EU framework and the Swedish epizootic disease act (1999:657), the Swedish Board of Agriculture, as the competent authority, shall make decisions on control measures in connection with outbreaks of serious diseases such as African swine fever. The Swedish Board of Agriculture shall introduce the prohibitions and restrictions needed to ensure that the risk of spreading the disease is minimized. I have full confidence in the authority's ability to weigh benefits against consequences in the decisions made, both in the initial stage and now that restrictions have begun to be eased.
I am proud of the commitment that so many actors have shown so far in the containment work, and I hope that the infection can be eradicated as soon as possible, so that life in Fagersta and Norberg can return completely to normal.
Åsa Eriksson (S)
Mr. Speaker! First, I would like to give a great commendation to the Swedish Board of Agriculture and SVA, which have taken exemplary, swift, and relevant measures to reduce the infection and the effects of the outbreak of swine fever in Fagersta and Norberg.
I believe I speak for all of us who live in Fagersta and Norberg when I say that we are impressed by how quickly it went, how fast equipment was obtained, and how good the information meetings have been. In many ways, the authority has worked exemplarily, and for that, I would like to say thank you.
But, Mr. Speaker, I also want to give a description of what it is like to live in what is now called an infected zone, which therefore covers the entire Fagersta municipality and approximately 97 percent of Norberg municipality. When one drives into our municipalities, one is met with large yellow signs where it says: Stop! Infected zone. This also applies outside the fenced-off core area where the infected wild boar have been found.
Mr. Speaker! Before the debate, I have partly spoken with my neighbors in Karbenning, partly asked questions to companies and associations active in both municipalities, and of course spoken with Fagersta municipality and Norberg municipality.
The overall picture is that everyone is completely committed to contributing to ensuring that the swine fever does not spread. It is very important. We are happy to take responsibility for the entire country's pig production so that the plague does not spread, but we expect the state to be involved, to help, and to provide us with compensation for what we cannot do. And there is a great frustration regarding the lack of support, dialogue, and compensation.
Mr. Speaker! Let me give some examples. Since forestry has been completely prohibited in our municipalities since September 7, forest owners and others who have businesses in the forest are being hit very hard. The forest is, as is well known, an important activity for us in Bergslagen. Ongoing logging cannot be completed, timber value is lost, and the bark beetle problem is exacerbated because timber is now being left in the forest. Companies and staff have incurred costs for downtime and remediation, and planned forestry measures such as land preparation and clearing have had to be canceled. How does the government intend to compensate for all of this?
Mr. Speaker! AB Karl Hedin Sågverk, which has three sawmills in the area, has, as a direct consequence of the reduced delivery of timber, a production loss of approximately 10 percent. The company assesses that this corresponds to a contribution margin of 4.6 million kronor per month. Will the government ensure that they are compensated for that?
If the total ban on forestry measures within what is called the infected zone continues, the sawmills will be forced to reduce their production and lay off staff. It will become problematic to employ machine crews and forestry contractors. Tourism businesses are left without jobs when customers do not dare to visit what is called the infected zone. Unemployment in northern Västmanland will therefore increase.
Mr. Speaker! We all understand that the outbreak of African swine fever requires restrictions. The question I ask myself is who decides the balance between the consequences in relation to the benefits of the restrictions.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture shall, according to the Minister's answer to my interpellation, "introduce the prohibitions and restrictions needed to ensure that the risk of spreading the disease is minimized". Who decides the balance? Has the government delegated that assessment to the agency, or does the government not care at all about northern Västmanland?
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the new questions, Åsa Eriksson! It is of course that we care. But I also believe that the member has a grasp of the legislation and knows which is the competent authority. And I do not believe that politicians should step in and micro-manage things for which there is expert knowledge in different agencies.
Just as the member says, the authorities, in a collective assessment, have done a very good job. Of course, the government has ensured that it has been updated on practically every step that has been taken. We have naturally had a very close dialogue with the relevant authorities and also with voluntary organizations, for example Svenska Jägareförbundet, which has made an invaluable contribution in the work on the ground. Without the hunters' commitment, we probably would not have been able to make the concessions that we have now made historically quickly in an international perspective.
One cannot, however, fail to note that without the strong measures taken initially in the process, the situation could have looked significantly worse. It is palpably distressing for people living in both Fagersta and Norberg and in the area that is infected; there is absolutely no doubt about that. It is also clear that this affects and causes problems for individual business owners. It does.
But we also have legislation that regulates how the compensation shall be paid out. Everyone who considers themselves directly affected by the restrictions that the state has placed on the area shall therefore apply for compensation from Jordbruksverket. All this information is clearly described on Jordbruksverket's website.
It is difficult to say how large the effects will be for forestry now that we have been able to ease the restrictions. It depends on how long-lasting the restrictions will be in total. But since the relaxations were made on 30 November, a large part of forestry is now outside the infected zone, which must be seen as positive.
Åsa Eriksson (S)
Mr. Speaker! Judging by the answer, the government does not seem to have any opinion on the balance between the consequences and the benefits. Those in northern Västmanland who have voted for the Tidö parties will surely feel deceived when their government does not care about them. It must feel unjust.
When I asked Norberg's municipality what causes the greatest problems from the restrictions, the answer was four things:
The tourism industry and small businesses are hit hard by the narrow regulatory framework. They do not receive financial compensation.
Important sports activities are being put on pause, primarily orienteering and cycling, because we still are not allowed to organize activities in the forest. This has consequences for both public health and association life.
Applications that the municipality submits to the Swedish Board of Agriculture must be redone, supplemented, and become more comprehensive in order to be granted. It takes many personnel resources from an already anorectic municipal organization and causes other tasks to be left pending.
The municipality's development work is hindered because we are not allowed to carry out, for example, archaeological investigations before residential construction.
Mr. Speaker! I truly hope that no relationships end during this year, because it is impossible to sell a property in an area called a contaminated zone.
Mr. Speaker! The business chief in Fagersta municipality, Tobias Back, argues in response to a question posed to him that Tillväxtverket, not Jordbruksverket, should be the instance that handles compensations to companies and associations. He has apparently invited the government to discuss the matter but has received no response. So important northern Västmanland is for the government.
Forest companies have requested a group consisting of forestry actors and relevant authorities, but it fell through because the authorities did not have much interest. That is how important northern Västmanland is.
The prohibitions have likely had greater consequences and costs than the Swedish Board of Agriculture knew when the decision was made. The Zoonotic Disease Act is not adapted for forestry, association life, or the tourism industry. It is a law that is written for agricultural activities. That is all well and good, but it is not enough when entire municipalities are burdened with a dead hand. Those who have lost assignments or customers due to the restrictions receive no financial compensation for it.
The list on the Swedish Board of Agriculture's website of what types of companies and activities cannot receive grants according to this law is longer than the list of those who can apply. It is telling in itself.
Mr. Speaker! Other regulations are required to handle the consequences of the swine fever restrictions. When crises arise, a government that says it wants to work for the whole country must take the measures required to provide support to those affected by the crisis. One cannot lean back and say: We have in our wisdom not foreseen all consequences in previous legislations, so you have to live with it. One must act. Let me give some examples.
During the large forest fire in northern Västmanland in 2014, the then Alliance government acted and ensured that the municipalities received financial compensation, even though the applicable legislation did not allow for it.
During the corona pandemic, the Social Democratic government acted with a multitude of initiatives to change the regulatory framework so that companies, individuals, and our common welfare would not be unnecessarily hard hit. If one wants to do so, it can be done.
The question, therefore, Mr. Speaker, is: Will the government act to ensure that those who have been affected by the African swine fever restrictions are also compensated for it?
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! All measures that have been taken during this work have been taken to increase the chances of limiting and combating this infection and ultimately reducing the negative consequences for Sweden as a country. As I have said, I have full confidence in the authorities' ability as expert agencies to assess and manage the current situation, as well as whether or when it may be relevant to make changes to the decisions that have been taken.
It is immensely gratifying, once again, that we in Sweden, from an international perspective, have handled this outbreak of infection so well that we can already now make concessions in the restrictions and reduce the infected zone.
How large the effects will be for, for example, forestry, as I said before, is something too early to say. The most important thing, however, is that we can quickly get out of this situation so that everything can return to normal and so that no more land in Sweden is affected. Furthermore, the vast majority of forestry activities are assessed to be able to be subject to exemptions. It is Jordbruksverket that makes decisions on exemptions and Skogsstyrelsen that contributes with expertise.
At the same time as some restrictions remain, I want to remind of the agreement – it was also mentioned by the member – where the Swedish Board of Agriculture, affected municipalities and the sports movement were able to reach a solution that allowed, for example, a large ski race, Engelbrektsloppet, to be held, which was very positive.
It is in challenging times that cooperation is put to the test. The Swedish Board of Agriculture constantly evaluates the possibilities for new exemptions from the restrictions based on the applications that have been submitted. According to the legislation we have in place, there is an opportunity for those who are directly affected by a restriction imposed by the state in one way or another to apply for compensation.
It is of course that we follow that process and see what the outcome becomes in the examinations of the various applications that arrive. I am kept continuously informed about the developments there.
Åsa Eriksson (S)
Madam Speaker! The optimistically minded could perhaps see at the end of the Minister's answer that there was an opening for another type of compensation for all those tourism businesses that today do not get to apply for financial compensation for, for example, lost customers and business. I truly hope that is the case.
Madam Speaker! Yesterday, the State Veterinarian at SVA announced that no infected wild boar have been found since September and that all infection is concentrated in the small area where the pigs were previously found. Everything therefore indicates that the peak has passed and that the infection is broken. This is very good, and I agree with the Minister that it is an effect of swift, resolute, and good measures from the authorities and a fantastic job by hunters and others who have searched through the area.
But despite the fact that no infected pigs have been found outside the fenced core area, two municipalities are considered an infected zone. These are enormous areas. No pigs can come in or out, because there are fences around the core area. Still, we are called an infected zone and cannot seek compensation for lost customers. It is difficult to see the reasonableness in that.
Madam Speaker! We are happy that we can go into the forest again. But we cannot, for example, plow an ice rink on the lake, because for that one needs a motor-driven vehicle, a quad bike. Therefore, we cannot, for example, go ice skating there.
The cross-country skiing race Engelbrektsloppet that the Minister of State brought up can be held - great - but with a different route. They must build fences and ensure that everyone sanitizes their equipment at an additional cost of 600,000 kronor. The question is who is going to pay for it.
Will the Minister take responsibility for the balance between the consequences and the benefits of the restrictions and ensure that we who live in northern Västmanland receive compensation for lost business?
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Madam Speaker! I admire the member who seems to believe that she knows better than the expert agencies we have in Sweden. I have noted that the expert agencies we have in this area are best positioned to decide which zones should be seen as infected zones and not, based on the overall goal of combating and eradicating this infection so that we do not get even larger areas that are restricted.
I am quite convinced that we would have had a completely different discussion here if I, as Minister for Rural Affairs, had stepped in and said: Now we are reducing the zone. I am overriding the authorities who are employed to be experts on precisely such events. The discussion would be different if I as minister were to step in and overrule their decisions or if the government made a decision to exempt areas against the experts' recommendations.
I can once again state that we have done a fantastic job of limiting this infection. I also want to point out once again what invaluable efforts have been made from the authority side and not least from civil society.
We have the legislation we have, and I follow this very closely. It is still in its infancy. There are still many who have not applied, and discussions are ongoing about who is entitled to compensation and who is not. The legislation is, however, relatively clear: The one who is directly affected is also entitled to compensation and should then apply for it at Jordbruksverket.
I hope that this infection can be eradicated and soon be a thing of the past so that the situation in the entire restriction area can return completely to normal.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.