"Today, the interests of the reindeer industry weigh so heavily on such large areas that other people's freedom and future too often have to take a back seat," writes Ebba Busch together with KD politician Peter Kullgren in a debate article in SvD.
The Christian Democrats believe that the position of the reindeer industry needs to be reconsidered and that the state should "reclaim responsibility" for the land in the mountains.
Want to reconsider support
According to KD's proposal, the reindeer herd should be reduced and subsidies for the reindeer industry reconsidered to mitigate conflicts between different interests in the north.
The Christian Democrats say that Sami rights and Sami culture should be protected, but that money should be redirected away from reindeer herding and used for Sami culture and language.
"Sami culture and Sami rights have over time grown into a system where reindeer herding rights are often given weight that goes far beyond what is reasonable in a society where many legitimate claims must be accommodated," write Busch and Kullgren.
“Not in the national interest”
KD therefore believes reindeer husbandry should no longer be a national interest.
"The reindeer industry should continue to be an important interest, but it should be weighed against other important interests in the individual case, and not in practice be given such weight that social development is blocked over very large areas," they write and continue:
"This is how the state restores balance and takes back responsibility for the whole."
