On Tuesday 19 September, the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture called for measures to increase plant protein production in the EU.
In adopting the report by Emma Wiesner (Renew Europe, Swedish) on plant proteins by 33 votes in favour, 9 against and 3 abstentions, the members of this Committee rejected the compromise amendments on the potential of synthetic meat (see EUROPE 13250/8). Ms Wiesner was very much in favour of cellular meat. However, the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture did not want to make any concessions in this area. The Committee believes that cell-based foods “present ethical, social, environmental and economic challenges and that the Novel Foods Regulation is not suitable” for dealing with this issue.
Under the ‘protein plan’, Member States are invited to introduce eco-regimes (ecological programmes) for legumes and grasslands and to create dedicated protein crop funds. According to the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, the Commission should consider the possibility of growing protein-rich plants for food on set-aside land.
Another request from MEPs includes considering manure products and food industry waste as substitutes for chemical fertilisers.
The report, which will be voted on in the European Parliament plenary session between 16 and 19 October, also stresses that increased protein production can help the EU improve bioenergy production. To this end, MEPs call on the Commission to present a regulation for the use of secondary streams from the extraction of plant proteins, agricultural residues and food production waste streams for bioenergy production.
The European Commission has announced its intention to adopt a European protein strategy in early 2024. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)