The Aftermath

On 3 September, Återställ Våtmarker carried out a protest outside Neova’s head office in Jyväskylä, Finland. The façade was sprayed with red paint and a large banner was hung from the roof bearing the message “Neova out of Sweden”.

The protest was organised to draw attention to the company’s illegal activities at Grimsås Mosse and other peat extraction sites across Sweden, where Neova is extracting agricultural peat despite its licence being restricted to energy peat. At Grimsås Mosse, the company attempted to amend the agreement to cover agricultural peat but was refused permission by the Västergötland County Administrative Board this spring.

Neova is Sweden’s largest peat producer and accounts for over 70 per cent of peat extraction. The parent group is based in Finland, where the company is 50.1 per cent owned by the Finnish state. In 2024, Finland received 465 million euros from the EU in transition support to, amongst other things, phase out peat extraction in its own country, whilst Neova’s peat production in Sweden emits more greenhouse gases than domestic flights in Sweden.

- We have put our stamp on the head office in Jyväskylä itself. Neova, get out of Sweden. It’s time to pack up and go home, and leave our vital carbon sinks in our country in peace,” says Anders Bäcklund from Sweden, aged 72, who took part in the action alongside five other people.

Would you like to know more? Read more in the press release.

Mildred, 78, and Anki, 38, joined forces and displayed a clear message to the peat giant Neova OY on the funnel of the Finland ferry.

The time has come. The fossil fuel company Neova must, once and for all, pack up its gear and leave the Swedish peat bogs in peace.

Ban peat extraction now!

Last spring, Neova applied to amend the agreement for Grimsås Mosse, changing the designation from energy peat to cultivation peat – the County Administrative Board said NO.

Determined as Neova is, they appealed to the Land and Environment Court, as it is clearly very important to Neova that the agreement be amended. Now the decision has come – NO – REJECTED. No amendment to the agreement.

Why is it important to Neova, then?

Well, because the energy peat lies much deeper than the 60 cm that Neova will have time to extract at Grimsås Mosse before the agreement expires.

So what does that mean? Well, Neova won’t have time to extract a single gram of energy peat. They want to sell the peat as horticultural peat, just as they do – IN BREACH OF THE AGREEMENTS – at a number of other peat mines.

Neova is a rogue company that cuts corners and acts underhandedly, but now their cheating has been brought out into the open.

Goodbye, Neova!

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated money towards seed packets! Thanks to you, we’ve been able to sow 100 kg (!!!) of grass seeds and sunflower seeds over Neova’s peat pits at Grimsås mosse, Trottargårdsmossen and Flymossen. In just a few days, the seeds have started to sprout and have breathed new life into these places 🌻✊

Would you like to help us continue our campaign against the fossil fuel industry in Sweden?