Ebba Busch says right to reindeer herding is not reasonable

Ahead of this fall's elections, the Christian Democrats are presenting a proposal that, among other things, aims to reduce the number of reindeer.

"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," write Ebba Busch and Minister of Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren (KD) in a debate article in SvD.

KD believes that the position of the reindeer industry needs to be reconsidered and that the state should regain responsibility for the land in the mountains.

The state must be given better opportunities to weigh reindeer herding against jobs, energy, mines and infrastructure, but also the development of local communities, Kullgren tells Dagens Industri.

Want to reconsider support

According to the proposal, the size of the reindeer herd needs to be reduced and subsidies for the reindeer industry need to be reconsidered, in order to mitigate the conflicts between different interests in the north. The party also wants to appoint an inquiry into the reindeer herd.

KD believes that Sámi rights and Sámi culture should be protected at the same time, but that funding should be redirected away from reindeer herding and toward Sámi culture and language.

According to KD representatives, the right to reindeer herding is often given "a weight that goes far beyond what is reasonable in a society where many legitimate claims must be accommodated."

The party also believes that reindeer husbandry should no longer be a national interest.

“Regrettable”

Matti Blind Berg, chairman of the Swedish Sámi Federation, is critical of the proposal. He believes that it benefits actors who want to capitalize on natural resources in reindeer herding areas, at the expense of indigenous peoples' rights.

It is regrettable that we have two ministers who speak so indiscriminately in a very heated debate. They are really adding fuel to the fire.

He interprets KD's suggestion that hunting and fishing should be granted by the state as an attempt to circumvent the 2020 Girjas judgment, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the Sámi village of Girjas, and not the state, had the right to decide on hunting and fishing within the Sámi village's borders.

I have no idea how to do it legally, but to me it sounds like an attack on the rule of law.

Criticism from the Green Party

The proposal is also criticized by the Green Party, which believes that the image given by Sápmi is untrue and polarizing.

"Reindeer husbandry is a central part of Sámi culture and indigenous rights that are protected in the constitution and international law. It is repeatedly forced to take a back seat to other interests," writes Jan Riise (MP), spokesperson for minority and indigenous policy, to TT.