June 26, 2026

 

Upcoming EU protein strategy calls for higher domestic production

 

A draft of the European Union's upcoming protein strategy indicates concerns over a trade deficit spanning Brazil to China, and calls for increased domestic production to strengthen strategic autonomy in food, feed, and fuels.

 

The European Commission is expected to unveil the strategy on July 1 alongside its roadmap for a more resilient livestock sector.

 

The EU remains heavily reliant on imported plant proteins – around 13.9 million tonnes in 2024/2025, most of it used for animal feed – and Brussels has pledged to boost domestic production.

 

In the draft obtained by Euractiv – still unfinished and littered with placeholders – the Commission mainly sets out recommendations for member states on how to use the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding and other tools to encourage protein crops production.

 

The document also stops short of calling for a broader dietary shift towards plant proteins, while acknowledging that diets with a higher share of plant-based foods "help to support environment and climate objectives." 

 

However, it avoids explicitly advocating reduced consumption of animal products, even as several EU countries increasingly reflect this approach in national dietary guidelines.

 

The Commission is also cautious about the potential of novel proteins designed to mimic animal products – which have been frequently criticised by farmers.

 

"The production processes for several types of alternative proteins are energy intensive, in some cases requiring higher energy inputs than the conventional proteins they could potentially replace," reads the text, while conceding that such products "could reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance". 

 

To improve consumer information, Brussels plans to encourage voluntary labels for products made using "EU, national, regional or local feed". The strategy also notes that the Commission's post-2027 CAP proposal would allow mandatory origin labelling for legumes.

 

The upcoming EU public procurement act, slated for July 1, is also expected to create "lead markets" for plant-based proteins. 

 

The draft says the Commission will use its "agro-food diplomacy" to diversify supply chains and open new trade corridors, while hinting at the use of a newly announced trade diversification instrument.

 

The Commission is placing high hopes on accession candidate Ukraine – the largest producer of soybean in Europe – to cut reliance on imports from the United States, Brazil and Argentina.

 

"Ukraine could take a larger role in the EU plant-based protein imports, and in a perspective accession this could reduce the EU trade deficit from 13.9 million tonnes to 4.7 million tonnes and increase the EU's autonomy on plant-based protein from 76% to 86%," reads the document. 

 

It says the country doubled its soybean production in 2024-2025 compared to 2021-2022, despite the ongoing war. 

 

The draft also flags a "worrying" dependence on East Asian countries for most vitamins and amino acids used in feed and key to animal health, such as lysine and methionine. 

 

To address these "critical supply risks", it says the EU should work to "reshore" production, now heavily concentrated in China – which holds a "quasi-monopoly" over some of these products.

 

The draft hints at potentially more relaxed rules for crop-based biofuels, echoing recent positions taken by Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen. 

 

It says the sector can offer a "strong win-win" by boosting EU protein production while reducing dependence on imported feed and energy. 

 

The draft calls on the Commission's Directorate-General for Energy to address crop-based biofuels as part of the review of the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which two EU officials told Euractiv the Commission would propose next year. 

 

It also points to possible "adjustments" to the certification framework for low indirect land-use change (ILUC). The reference comes after controversy over the classification of soy-based biofuels as carrying a high ILUC risk.

 

The text reiterates comments by Commission officials about potentially allowing sustainably produced soy-based biofuels to be classified as low-ILUC risk. 

 

- Euractiv