Accessibility statement for the website mmm.fi

The website is subject to the Act on the Provision of Digital Services (available in Finnish and Swedish). Under the Act, public online services must be accessible, which means that everyone must have equal access to them. 

This statement describes the identified shortcomings in the accessibility of this website and provides information on how you can give us feedback on the accessibility of the service.

Accessibility of the service

The website largely meets the A and AA requirements of the accessibility criteria required by the Act (WCAG 2.1) and has no critical shortcomings in its accessibility. The key shortcomings in the accessibility of the online service are described below.

An external expert assessment of the accessibility of the website was commissioned in November 2018, and the shortcomings identified have since been rectified. We will continue to assess the accessibility of the service using various accessibility tools. 

The publication system was updated to a new version in June 2020. The accessibility issues identified in connection with the update are being rectified since the update. Accessibility will be taken into account in the development of all new features. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry also guides the Ministry’s officials to take into account accessibility requirements in their work.

If the material you need is not accessible, please contact us using the feedback form. We will deliver the material you need in an accessible format.

Content and functionalities that are not yet accessible

Errors in page heading hierarchy

The order of page heading levels in the HTML is partly incorrect. This may make it more difficult to browse the page using a screen reader. The page’s HTML may contain extra heading levels with no text. These levels appear as empty headings for screen readers. (WCAG 1.3.1)

Shortcomings in text alternatives for images and diagrams

The content pages have some images of text for which no text alternatives have been defined. Certain essential information is therefore not conveyed due to inadequate text alternatives, for example in timeline images. Detailed text alternatives have erroneously been provided for some purely decorative images. (WCAG 1.1.1, WCAG 1.4.5)

Accessibility issues in PDF documents

The website contains PDF documents published by the Ministry after 23 September 2018 that do not meet the accessibility requirements.

  • PDF documents may include visual elements and diagrams that are missing text alternatives. (WCAG 1.1.1)
  • PDF documents may have layout issues that hamper screen reader use, such as unnecessary line breaks and headings with no heading levels. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • The table structures in PDF documents may have deficiencies that hamper screen reader use. Table structures have been used text layout purposes, there are no programmatic column headers, or similar data has been divided into several tables. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • There are no links to the footnotes in the text of some PDF documents, which makes it difficult to interpret them when using a screen reader. (WCAG 1.3.1)
  • There may be shortcomings in file metadata, such as missing titles or incorrect language specifications and author information.

Shortcomings in the naming of links

The pages on the site may use the same link text for links that direct the user to different destinations. Not all link texts function independently from the context, such as “find out here” or “read more”. The site contains image links that lack a text alternative indicating the purpose of the link. (WCAG 2.4.4)

Broken links

The website contains broken links. These will be repaired in connection with other updates.

Titles missing from embedded content
For example, the site contains embedded YouTube content without an explanatory title. (WCAG 4.1.2)

Visual formatting in code

In individual cases, HTML code has been used instead of CSS to format the content. In embedded content from third party systems, for instance, it is not possible to modify the code. Body text formatting may contain incorrect tags in the HTML code. The bold, font, u, and strike tags may be used incorrectly. These may appear as errors for users of assistive devices. (WCAG 1.3.1)

Contrast issues in the content

The contrast ratio between text and background colour is not always sufficient. The contrast issues apply to text content, buttons, accordions and footers, for instance. (WCAG 1.4.3)

Content imported from other systems

The online service includes content imported from other systems. Any accessibility issues with these contents are due to the original system. 

Decisions

The website publishes PDF documents imported from the Government’s electronic decision support system that are not fully accessible. The accessibility issues hamper the use of these files with assistive devices. The files lack text equivalents, titles and language specifications, and there are some issues with their structures. The decision support system will be updated by August 2021, at which time the material produced by the system will be accessible.

Publications

The website contains links to ministry’s publications in PDF format that are located in the Institutional Repository for the Government (Valto). Separate accessibility statements have been prepared for the publications and the Institutional Repository for the Government that describe any accessibility issues they may have. 

Project information

Project information is displayed from a separate back-end system. The user interface used to display project information has some accessibility issues that hamper screen reader use and keyboard browsing. Such functions include reloading a page when switching from one tab to another, modal windows on pages displaying information on individual projects, and the project search calendar. 

The project information includes PDF documents that have been produced in other systems, such as in the case management system. These documents may have accessibility issues, such as deficient structures and attributes and missing text alternatives. The accessibility issues hamper the use of these files with assistive devices.

Social media

Accessibility requirements are taken into account in the content of social media channels maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry based on the possibilities offered by each channel. The visual and audiovisual material produced before 23 September 2020 includes content that does not meet the accessibility requirements.

Content not covered by the applicable legislation

The website has content that is not subject to the requirements of the legislation. Such content is

  • third-party content that is not produced, funded or supervised by the service provider itself
  • files published before 23 September 2018
  • live video or audio broadcasts that are not recorded for storage or publication
  • video or voice recordings published before 23 September 2020

Have you noticed any accessibility concerns?

We constantly strive to improve the accessibility of our online service. If you find any accessibility issues on the website that are not described in this statement, please let us know. We are also happy to receive other comments and suggestions for improvements to the accessibility of the website. 

Give us accessibility feedback via email: registry.mmm@gov.fi.

Accessibility supervision

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland oversees the fulfilment of accessibility requirements. If you are not satisfied with our reply, or if you do not receive any response within two weeks, please send your feedback to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. Detailed information on how to file a complaint and how the matter will be handled is available on the Agency’s website.

Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland 
Saavutettavuuden valvonnan yksikkö (supervisory unit for accessibility) 
Accessibility requirements web service (available in Finnish and Swedish) Saavutettavuusvaatimukset.fi
saavutettavuus@avi.fi 
tel. (switchboard) +358 295 016 000