Sweden has around 50 000 islands, some of which are home to livestock farmers. These animals graze on natural pastures and get their drinking water from the Baltic Sea. Meat from these animals is seen to be tastier and more tender, and the relaxed environment in which they are raised appeals to the Swedes, who place high value on animal welfare.
The meat has become so popular that high-end restaurants in Sweden have started advertising that they only serve ‘archipelago meat’. Camilla Strandman (above), a livestock and vegetable farmer on Nämdö island, 50km east of Stockholm, makes use of six different islands to feed her flock of 60 Gotlandic sheep and eight Angus and cross-breed cattle.
Her livestock is rotated between the islands and transported by boat. In total, she has around 207ha of grazing. Camilla has such a good relationship with her sheep that they react when she calls them, while the sheepdog stands by watching.
