Response to interpellation 2024/25:552 on the use of wild boar meat
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 KD argues that there is no general ban on supplying wild boar meat to charcuteries, but the meat must be inspected at a game management facility 1. KD believes that the government is working to increase the volumes of Swedish wild boar meat by facilitating the path to the consumer and creating incentives for hunters 1. KD views it positively that Livsmedelsverket has paused the control of companies that handle meat from private individuals 1 2 and argues that game should be seen as a food resource. 3 S wants more wild boar meat to be eaten and argues that functional paths to slaughter, processing, and the final consumer are required to secure a functioning chain 3. 4 KD wants to facilitate for game meat to reach consumers and wants to reduce the administrative burden in the handling 4.
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)
Madam Speaker! Sofia Skönnbrink has asked me whether I will take any initiatives in view of the concern that Swedish hunters experience regarding the Swedish Food Agency's decision and its potential consequences for wild boar hunting and the use of wild boar meat, as well as what measures I and the government intend to take to ensure that hunters will also be able to continue to deliver wild boar meat to charcuteries.
I want to start by saying that there is no general prohibition against delivering wild boar meat to charcuteries, but the meat must be inspected at a wild game management facility.
Just as Sofia Skönnbrink writes, Sweden has for a long time struggled with the challenges that a growing wild boar population brings with it. This applies in particular to the extensive damage within agriculture and the increased need for hunting. The government's investment in a wild boar package has so far entailed focused measures to increase the volumes of Swedish wild boar meat on the market by facilitating the meat's path to the consumer and creating incentives for hunters to shoot more wild boar.
The government has, among other things, ensured that the regulatory framework has been changed so that hunters can sell their meat directly to shops and consumers. This has been an important step. This hopefully not only increases the incentives for wild boar hunting but also ensures that we make use of a high-quality food product. This in itself contributes to a more sustainable food supply. On March 20, 2025, the government decided on the Food Strategy 2.0, where the initiative on wild boar continues.
Regarding the Swedish Food Agency's decision on the production of sausages from game meat, I understand that this is something that affects both hunters and charcuteries. The Swedish Food Agency's control of food companies that handle food from private individuals has now been paused while the authority reviews how the EU legislation in the area should be interpreted. I welcome that initiative and am following the development closely. I also welcome the Commission's broad initiative for regulatory simplification and hope that it will have an effect in this area as well.
Since the government safeguards Swedish food production and the utilization of wild boar meat, the government has, within the framework of the Food Strategy 2.0, tasked the Swedish Food Agency to, among other things, analyze and submit proposals for other potential measures to increase the sale of wild boar meat. It is my hope that this shall include regulatory easing for resale to restaurants as well as rules regarding which products may be sold further to consumers.
This is an important issue for the government. I am following it closely, and I look forward very much to taking part in the Swedish Food Agency's proposal on measures. Wild boar can, through these measures, become a valuable food resource instead of just a problem.
Sofia Skönnbrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would first and foremost like to take the opportunity to congratulate Minister Kullgren, as I read that there will be an addition to the family at the end of the summer.
Back to the debate. It is exactly as the minister says: The wild boar population in Sweden is growing rapidly. This affects society in several ways – not least agriculture. The wild boars root in the fields and destroy grain, fodder, potatoes, and corn and so on. According to LRF, it concerns damage to crops worth over 1 billion kronor every year. This obviously hits our farmers hard, as they are already in a difficult economic situation.
An increased number of wild boar also implies a greater risk of spreading serious diseases, such as African swine fever, but also for an increased number of traffic accidents. These challenges need to be managed, and there our hunters play a very important role.
Mr. Speaker! In order to increase the incentives for wild boar hunting, we need to make it easier for the hunters to handle the meat. Despite the fact that we have a growing hunting pressure, it is far from all this meat that reaches our dinner tables. Much goes to waste, which is problematic because wild boar meat is a sustainable, locally produced food of high quality. By making use of the meat from the animals that are culled, we can both reduce food waste and strengthen our Swedish food security.
There has long been a clear political will to facilitate the hunt for wild boar, regardless of the government constellation. Action plans have been developed with a focus on local and regional levels to reduce the wild boar population. It has also become possible for our hunters to use thermal cameras and night vision scopes to facilitate hunting during the time when the wild boars are most active. The hunters also have the opportunity to sell wild boar meat directly to consumers, shops, and restaurants. The trichinosis testing has been made cost-free with the help of state subsidies.
All this is good, but for us to succeed fully, it also requires that our authorities are responsive and work towards the same goal.
Mr. Speaker! That is why it was very concerning when the National Food Agency recently made a decision which in practice meant that the production of charcuterie products from hunters' wild boar meat would no longer be permitted. For those who are not very well-informed, it means that a hunter will no longer be able to submit their meat to a charcuterie for it to be processed into, for example, game sausage.
The Swedish Food Agency must, of course, comply with food legislation and ensure that food safety is always at the center. The decision did, however, raise questions, as it complicates the possibility of utilizing the whole animal and, in the long run, will reduce the hunters' willingness to contribute to a necessary wildlife management.
It is good that the Swedish Food Agency has now chosen to pause the ban, just as the minister says, and clearly signaled that they do not want to make things difficult for hunters but are instead open to dialogue and continued analysis.
I want to emphasize that this is not about directing criticism at the authority itself, as it has a complex mandate and important areas of responsibility. But it simultaneously shows how important it is that there is a close dialogue between politics and our authorities, especially in issues where different interests must be weighed against each other.
It ultimately comes down to trust. Hunters, small business owners, and consumers must be able to trust that these rules hang together and are easy to understand, and that there is a common thread from political decisions to how it works in reality.
Mr. Speaker! I would therefore like to ask Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren how he views the possibility of ensuring, in cooperation with the Swedish Food Agency, that hunters can also continue to submit their wild boar meat to charcuteries for further processing. I would also like to hear how the minister will ensure that the coordination between political decisions and administrative actions functions in the short and long term within the minister's own area of responsibility.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I share Sofia Skönnbrink's view that this is truly unfortunate. One of my primary drivers as Minister for Rural Affairs is to simplify and reduce unnecessary complications and bureaucracy. But it must, of course, never occur at the expense of people's health, and it must be possible to do both. That is precisely what I strive for.
Sweden has, thank God, very few foodborne infections. Fundamentally, it is a message of strength. Part of the explanation is our strict legislation, but equally important is the companies' own drive to maintain high hygiene standards. In a competitive market, it is simple: Those who neglect food safety will be phased out.
Sofia Skönnbrink is also well-versed in how the Swedish administrative model works. Our authorities have an extensive independent mandate, and it is they themselves who interpret and apply the regulatory frameworks they are responsible for. In this case, the Swedish Food Agency itself has concluded that its guidance on the production of sausages by charcuteries has not been sufficiently clear.
It is one of the reasons why the authority has now chosen to temporarily pause the inspection of food companies that handle these products from private individuals. I view that positively. During the pause, the National Food Agency will review how the rules should be interpreted and applied going forward, both internally and in close dialogue with the stakeholders involved. It is an important step to ensure both legal certainty and clarity for the companies.
If I do not have a completely incorrect memory, Sofia Skönnbrink is also a member of the Food Agency's oversight council, Mr. Speaker. There is therefore also an opportunity to follow the issue from the member's side.
Sofia Skönnbrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! It is true that I sit on the Food Agency's oversight council. I will, of course, raise the issue for dialogue there as well.
It is positive that a dialogue is ongoing regarding how the regulations should be interpreted and applied so that the industry can be part of that analysis. It is, in fact, an important signal to our hunters and also small-scale processors that makes them feel listened to.
It is again important to emphasize that it is not just about a single agency decision but about the whole, that is to say how we create a functioning chain from hunt to consumer. For hunters to be able to utilize their meat in a safe and efficient way, both clear rules and a functioning infrastructure are required.
The Minister for Rural Affairs said in his response that there is no general ban on delivering wild boar meat to charcuteries, but that the meat must first be inspected at a game management facility. The problem is that there are far too few game management facilities and slaughterhouses that accept wild boar. Many hunters lack this type of facility in their local area, which means long transport distances that make it both impractical and expensive to deliver the game.
Mr. Speaker! In order to be able to utilize the game meat in a good way, it either requires more game management facilities or that the hunters also continue to submit their carcass details to the charcuteries. I personally do not think it is reasonable that the recovery of wild boar meat should be seen as a market – that is the assessment that has been made by the authority – because the purpose is for the consumption to take place in the own household. It is an issue I intend to raise also in direct dialogue with the National Food Agency.
If the hunters instead are forced to leave entire animal carcasses at the waste management facilities, I believe unfortunately that a lot of good meat will be lost. It is a waste of resources we cannot afford, especially not given our low self-sufficiency rate when it comes to food.
According to the Swedish Food Agency's report, there are only 185 active slaughterhouses and game management facilities left in Sweden. The number has decreased over the last four years, and it is primarily the smaller facilities that have chosen to close. This leads to many hunters being forced to handle the entire chain from slaughter to sale themselves, Mr. Speaker, which is both time-consuming and difficult. It becomes even worse if even the existing facilities are not allowed to receive the meat, which is the reason we have this debate today. The production of game sausage is threatened.
If we are serious about more people being able to eat wild boar meat, the entire chain must work. It bears repeating. It is not enough that the hunting is effective; we also need to ensure that handling, processing, and sales work in a way that suits more hunters and is available to more hunters.
Mr. Speaker! Therefore, I would like to ask two further questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs.
Does the Minister believe there is a risk that the prohibitions against the submission of wild boar meat for the production of game sausages will continue to be issued? Those that have been issued remain in force. What has been done is to pause the issuance of prohibitions.
The Minister for Rural Affairs also points out that there is no general ban on the submission of meat to charcuteries if the meat has been inspected at a slaughterhouse. Therefore, I would also like to know in what way the government is working to contribute to ensuring that more slaughterhouses can open and continue to operate, especially in those parts of the country where the need is greatest.
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! That I pointed out at the beginning that there is no general prohibition was because the member's question was phrased in such a way that one could get the impression that there is a general prohibition. There is none, therefore.
I am well aware that we have too few game management facilities, and that more will come is also an important part for us to be able to get more meat onto the market generally speaking. That we have an active hunt is, as mentioned, also a basic prerequisite. Even that we ensure that game is seen as an obvious food resource, I believe in the long run will lead to us getting more game management facilities.
I can only state that the member and I are in agreement on most things in this debate. The government will continue to work to simplify, clarify and improve the regulations so that wild boar meat can be utilized to an even greater extent. As I said, we are following the developments closely.
The Swedish Food Agency has itself said that they have paused and that they will evaluate how they have interpreted the regulatory framework, and I assume that they are also doing so. However, it is too early for me to speculate on exactly what they will come to. We will have to come back to that.
Sofia Skönnbrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! This is not just about meat and regulations, it is about people who live and work in the countryside. It is about the hunter who does their very best to keep the wild boar population in check. It is also about the small charcuterie that wants to make use of Swedish game meat and all those who want to be able to buy safe and locally produced food even in their local shop in the countryside.
We have the resources, we have the knowledge, and we have the will. Therefore, it is important that we have this debate today, because we do want more wild boar meat to be eaten. That requires, as said, functioning roads further to slaughter, processing, and the final consumer. My message to the minister, Mr. Speaker, therefore becomes: Let us do what we can to secure a functioning chain where the wild boar that are culled can also become food on our Swedish plates!
I would be very happy if the Minister could elaborate a bit more on how the work to open more waste management facilities will proceed and what path forward is seen regarding that specific part.
Otherwise, I just want to conclude by saying: Wild boar meat is delicious, so run and buy some!
Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank the member for an important debate. The government wants to facilitate things here. We want to create more paths for our game meat to reach consumers and reduce the administrative burden in this handling, not the opposite. I will certainly return to the chamber and Sofia Skönnbrink on this matter in the future.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.