(July 7): The European Union aims to increase the amount of protein feed crops, such as soybeans, that are sourced from within the 27-nation bloc, cutting its dependency on top suppliers like the US and Brazil.
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, wants 35% of oilseeds and protein crops used in animal feed to be EU-grown by 2035. That compares with 25% sourced domestically last year, according to the bloc’s livestock strategy and protein plan published on Tuesday.
Europe is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of food products, from grains and dairy to pork and olive oil. But its livestock industry is heavily dependent on imports of protein crops, making the region vulnerable to supply disruptions.
Meanwhile, its citizens have long been concerned about deforestation in places like Brazil, with farmers staging protests in recent years against a trade deal with the Mercosur countries that include Brazil and Argentina.
The EU is also seeking to diversify its imports away from the Americas. An increase in trade from Ukraine is one way of achieving this, according to a commission official. Ukraine, which benefits from preferential trade rules, formally began the first stage of membership talks with the bloc last month.
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The bloc will also look to use trade negotiations to boost Europe’s agriculture sector and enforce EU food safety standards, as previously reported by Bloomberg. The plan for livestock seeks to support a sector that generates €400 billion in annual turnover and employs around seven million people across Europe.
The strategy focuses on support for farmers and avoiding strict emissions-reduction criteria, a reversal from the EU’s Green Deal era. Still, it does include emissions monitoring and animal welfare measures, including a planned phaseout of cages for chickens and pigs.
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