Europe’s livestock sector depends on imported protein for nearly all of its high-protein feed, a vulnerability a new EU-backed initiative aims to eliminate.
Backed by almost €5.5 million from the Horizon Europe programme, the PROFEED project brings together 15 partners across eight countries under the leadership of the University of Leeds. The effort targets domestically produced plant protein alternatives, regional implementation plans, and policy recommendations at the EU level.
Nearly 96% of high-protein feed used in European farming currently arrives from outside the bloc. That dependence leaves producers exposed to supply disruptions, volatile prices, and environmental strain, according to a European Commission statement.
“PROFEED aims to turn protein diversification into an opportunity to strengthen the resilience, competitiveness and sustainability of Europe’s feed systems,” said Christine Bosch, associate professor at the University of Leeds and project coordinator.
The project spans the full value chain, connecting crop science, farming methods, feed technology, animal nutrition, and policy design. Researchers will screen more than 130 soybean, lupin, and alfalfa accessions under controlled conditions, including simulated future climate scenarios, to identify the hardiest varieties.
Those selections then move into field trials across varied European climates. Animal studies will evaluate their performance in feed formulations for pigs, poultry, and farmed fish. Life-cycle assessments and techno-economic analyses will measure environmental and socioeconomic outcomes.
Meanwhile, 40 farmers, 10 lighthouse sites, and four communities of practice will support collaboration and knowledge sharing. An open-access digital platform will centralise data, tools, training materials, and best practices for sustainable protein crop production.
Ultimately, the consortium plans to deliver a harmonised European database, policy guidance, and a multilingual MOOC for farmers, advisers, industry, and policymakers. The project runs from October 2026 through September 2030.
Ireland’s situation illustrates the stakes. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon has noted that pigs and poultry rely almost entirely on compound feeds. The country produces roughly 2.2 million tonnes of home-grown cereals annually but imports about 5.1 million tonnes of feed materials, with major suppliers including Argentina, the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
