The Sami villages can apply for disaster injury protection when the bait is so bad that they are forced to support the reindeer.
The Sami Parliament has a total of SEK 14 million to distribute to support the extra costs it entails. And the whole sum is expected to be spent this year, Jan Rannerud believes.
– We have experienced a winter that is not like another winter and it is deeply unfortunate for us, he says.
Winter has meant a roller coaster for reindeer husbandry. First has snowed, then it has been thawed and then has frozen again. This leads to so -called locked bait where the reindeer cannot get through the ice layer on the ground to access the bait. The only way to feed the reindeer is to support them – and it becomes expensive.
“We cry a splash”
It’s not the first winter it is like this. Last year, 26 Sami villages applied for disaster injury protection and similar winters have replaced each other in recent years. The last time it was so bad was 2001. Then the government was forced to go in with extra money to support the Sami villages.
What do you do if the money isn’t enough?
– We cry a splash and then we try to redistribute in the budget and then we have the last alternative and that is to request a reinforcement from the government, says Jan Rannerud.
For the reindeer herders, it is clear that the winters of recent years can be linked to climate change. Admittedly, the pastures have also become fewer due to exploitation in the north. But that reindeer that have been moving in the areas for centuries now cannot find food is seen as a clear sign that the winters are not as before.
– I am worried that we will be drawn with this type of climate. There is almost nothing to do about it is just to like the situation for us, says Jan Rannerud.
Hope for climate support
He himself puts his hope for the climate support that politicians at the Sami Parliament have long lobbied.
Today’s disaster injury protection only covers the cost of support feeding. But such winters also mean several other cost increases for the Sami villages. For example, reindeer may need to be moved by truck as streams are open or ice cream does not hold.
– With climate support we can get help with equipment, help with preparation and adaptation, says Jan Rannerud.