16.04.2024 - According to new information provided to Dagen newspaper, the government is expected to present a proposal to introduce farm sales on April 25. "We know that a proposal to introduce farm sales would be the end of Systembolaget's monopoly," says Lucas Nilsson, chairman of IOGT-NTO, who is strongly critical of the development.
The issue of introducing farm sales has been investigated three times, most recently in 2021. Repeatedly, prominent EU legal experts and consultative bodies have pointed out that the introduction of farm sales is not compatible with Systembolaget's exemption under EU law. Sweden's retail monopoly on alcohol means that no actors other than Systembolaget can operate in the Swedish market.
"Introducing farm sales would therefore mean dismantling one of the most effective alcohol policy tools we have. This is also why actors like the WHO have pleaded with Sweden to preserve the monopoly and not proceed with any proposal," says Emil Juslin, head of drug policy at IOGT-NTO.
"The government must prioritize people's health and well-being over the industry's profit interest. Alcohol policy should promote public health. Therefore, introducing farm sales would be to directly counteract the purpose of alcohol policy," says Lucas Nilsson, chairman of IOGT-NTO.