Parliament majority urges government to preserve grazing rights

By Linn Åkesson @ 2025-04-09T11:41 (+1)

Hi FAST!

Sweden’s animal welfare law currently guarantees cows the right to graze outdoors during the summer – a unique protection now under threat. A government inquiry has proposed removing this requirement, which would mark a major setback.

However, last week, the Swedish Green Party and the Left Party joined the Social Democrats in supporting a reservation to protect cows grazing rights, which ultimately gained a majority over the committee’s proposal to reject it. This led to a formal request to the government – sending a strong message that both the public and policymakers are committed to protecting grazing rights.

This positive development follows Project 1882’s dedicated efforts to defend grazing rights. Prior to the formal request to the government, we presented 165,076 signatures from our “Jag vill beta” (“I want to graze”) campaign, urging the government not only to preserve these rights but also to expand them to include bulls and calves. We will continue to fight for the cows and ensure their right to graze is protected.