Meeting in Brussels on Monday 19 February, EU agriculture ministers hailed the European Commission’s initiative to prepare a strategic plan by the end of the year for addressing the EU’s deficit in plant proteins (mainly intended for animal feed). The plan, which will take the form of a report, should identify opportunities and challenges for increased plant protein production in Europe through, in particular, research and innovation with a view to increasing output. That same day the European Commission launched a consultation with stakeholders on the “protein” plan.
The Commission will be organising four thematic workshops in coming months. The first, on the theme of “research and innovation in the field of plant protein” will be held in Brussels on 24 and 25 April. The European Commission has called on member states to voluntarily step forward to host the following workshops.
Europe imports 70% of the plant protein it needs, mainly soya (for animal feed) from South America and the United States. Out of the 31.2 million tonnes (Mt) of high-protein soya feed used in the EU, only 1.5 Mt is produced from soya grown on the spot. Since 2013, under incentives set up within the framework of CAP, soya production in the EU has already increased 121% (114% in the case of protein crops).
On 21 February, the European Parliament’s agriculture committee must adopt the report by Jean-Paul Denanot (S&D, France) on a “European strategy for the promotion of protein crops – Encouraging the production of protein and leguminous plants in the European agriculture sector”.
Public consultation is available via: http://bit.ly/2Gujc2L. (Original version in French by Antonin Garnier)