Earn tax-free income by picking berries and mushrooms in Sweden

Foraging in Swedish forests can now offer a significant financial opportunity, with individuals able to earn up to 12,500 Swedish kronor tax-free by selling wild berries and mushrooms. This year, the interest from berry buyers may be particularly high as fewer Thai pickers are expected to travel to Sweden.

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There are no [Thai pickers] yet, but between 1,000 and 1,200 Thais are expected here this year.

New regulations have altered the landscape for berry pickers. Foreign employers can no longer directly hire berry pickers; instead, pickers must be employed by a company established in Sweden. While work permits for berry picking are no longer issued under the general rules, permits can still be granted under the EU's seasonal directive. Fredrik Reinholdsson of Olle Svenssons partiaffär in Olofström notes that while no Thai pickers have arrived yet, an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 are anticipated, a considerable decrease from the 3,000 to 4,000 who typically come annually.

This shift could benefit local pickers and boost demand from berry companies. Roger Persson, a buyer at Lotta-boden in Los, stated that his company is eager to purchase berries from private individuals locally. Lotta-boden processes some berries itself and sells others to larger distributors, who collect them with large trucks every other day. Persson believes this situation might encourage more berry buyers to emerge and potentially motivate more people to venture into the forests to pick.

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This should mean that berry companies will be more interested in targeting private pickers.

Initiatives like "Bär i bygden" (Berries in the Village), originating from a research project by RISE, aim to increase local food production. Gun Lidestav from Bär i bygden encourages private individuals to pick berries, recounting a six-year-old who managed to pick four kilograms with parental supervision. The concept hopes to expand across the country, offering opportunities for municipalities to organize summer jobs for youth or sports clubs to raise funds. However, it requires local initiative and organization to be successful.

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We encourage private individuals to pick. The youngest we have had was six years old and had picked four kilos. But he had his mother with him, of course.