Farm sales of alcohol must become legal

Published 5 June 2024 at 17.13

Domestic. The government is now going ahead with introducing farm sales of small-scale and artisanally produced alcoholic beverages in Sweden, while at the same time “Systembolaget's monopoly is protected”. A legal council referral is planned to be decided shortly.

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Farm sales of alcoholic beverages have been debated for a long time and investigated three times, with different results. Now the government is moving forward with a proposal that could come into force in the first half of 2025.

– This is a long-awaited freedom reform that opens up for a growing industry to continue developing. Entrepreneurs who with craftsmanship and passion ran their business with limited opportunities to sell their product, should now be able to do just that. Customers who visit wineries and microbreweries should have the opportunity to buy a few bottles home and the Swedish hospitality industry should be able to grow, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M).

All types of drinks will be covered by the reform. No own cultivation of raw materials is required to conduct farm sales of beer, cider or spirits. However, winemakers must grow their own grapes to be considered for farm sales. The sale must take place at a point of sale, directly adjacent to the place of manufacture or the place of cultivation.

It will be about small-scale and artisanal production – up to 75,000 liters of spirits, 400,000 liters of fermented drinks with up to 10% alcohol by volume and 200,000 liters of fermented drinks with more than 10% alcohol by volume.

Each person will be able to buy 0.7 liters of spirits, 3 liters of wine, 3 liters of strong beer and 3 liters of other fermented drinks.

The proposal “protects the retail monopoly”, according to the government, and is deemed compatible with EU law. With the model for farm sales that the government is now proposing, there will be a clear difference between the sales that take place at Systembolaget and the sales that take place directly at the producer, which in accordance with the inquiry's proposal must take place in connection with a “paid study visit”.< /p>

The government will next decide on a legislative council referral. The proposal will be sent for so-called notification to the EU Commission. The assessment is that the legislation can enter into force in the first half of 2025, unless the EU process drags on.