"It cannot be reasonable that there is such a big difference for the same job in different municipalities," says Anna Wallén, head of business policy at Visita.
Huddinge and Falkenberg are the extremes among the 212 municipalities that responded to the organization's survey. The average cost of applying for a permit for on-farm alcohol sales is SEK 11,000. In 16 of the responding municipalities, the fee is SEK 15,000 or more.
Small-scale business
A high fee may mean that some people simply refrain from applying, believes Anna Wallén.
Above all, this is about very small-scale operations, where you don't really know what sales will look like and there are very limited limits on how much you can sell.
When the regulations on farm sales of alcohol were to be launched last year, it was estimated that there were just over 700 manufacturers who could be affected by the change in law. Up until the beginning of June this year, 186 permits for farm sales had been granted.
We still see that there is potential in Sweden, says Anna Wallén.
She is calling for guidelines on how high fees municipalities can charge for an application.
Full cost coverage
In Huddinge, the relatively high amount is justified by the fact that the municipality wants full cost coverage. The company behind the application must be reviewed, the point of sale must be visited and a referral response must be obtained from the police. The applicant must take a knowledge test and the company's self-control program must be reviewed.
It becomes a political decision if you have a very low fee, says regulatory coordinator Alf Klingvall Axlev.
If the applicant does not pay for the process, the costs will be transferred to other activities, he points out. So far, no application to conduct farm sales has been submitted in Huddinge.
Facts: Farm sales
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Anyone who buys locally produced alcoholic beverages on-site must first participate in a paid visitor event with content linked to the beverage for sale.
The customer must be informed about the harmful effects of alcohol, but after a change in the law, it does not have to be done verbally; an information sheet from the Public Health Agency is sufficient.
The customer must be 20 years of age or older.
The Public Health Agency's regulations allow sales every weekday between 10 am and 8 pm, but the municipality can decide on other time frames.
The basic requirements for the seller are the same as those for a serving permit. Among other things, a knowledge test on the Alcohol Act and its regulations is required.
