UK farmers are set to be involved in efforts to grow more home-produced protein crops and cut reliance on imported soy
A £4.8 million research project is targeting Europe’s reliance on imported soy for livestock feed by expanding the use of home-grown peas, beans and other protein crops.
The five-year PROCEED project, worth €5.5m, brings together 20 organisations across 12 EU countries and the UK, including the James Hutton Institute.
Around 25% of the crude protein used in EU animal feed is imported, with soybean and soybean meal accounting for approximately 72% of those imported protein supplies.
Researchers hope increasing the production and use of grain and forage legumes could reduce that exposure while creating new opportunities for arable and livestock farmers.
For UK agriculture, a key part of the project will be the creation of a regional Practice Hub bringing together farmers, processors, feed businesses and researchers.
The hub will examine how home-grown protein crops can move beyond research trials and become commercially viable parts of livestock feed supply chains.
That means looking not only at how much protein crops can produce, but also at processing capacity, feed markets and the links needed between growers and livestock businesses.
Professor Pietro Iannetta of the James Hutton Institute, PROCEED’s deputy scientific co-ordinator, said: “Europe needs more than higher protein-crop yields; it needs viable routes from field to feed.”
Grain and forage legumes will form a major part of the work, with crops such as peas and beans offering farmers an alternative source of protein for livestock feed.
Legumes can also fix nitrogen through bacteria associated with their roots, potentially reducing nitrogen fertiliser requirements within rotations and benefiting following crops.
That could provide another incentive for growers at a time when fertiliser costs remain a major concern.
For arable businesses, stronger demand for home-grown protein crops could provide additional marketing and rotational opportunities.
Livestock farmers, meanwhile, could benefit from greater access to locally produced protein feed and reduced exposure to international commodity markets.
The project will also examine how increasing legume production could contribute to farm profitability, soil health, biodiversity and wider agricultural resilience.
Researchers say the challenge is not simply persuading farmers to grow more protein crops.
Without viable processing, buyers and feed markets, additional production may struggle to translate into a commercially sustainable alternative to imported soy.
PROCEED’s regional hubs are intended to address that gap by bringing different parts of the supply chain together and testing approaches under practical farming and commercial conditions.
Associate Professor Pietro Goglio of the University of Perugia, the project’s scientific co-ordinator, said European livestock production remained heavily dependent on imported protein feed.
The project will explore whether greater use of locally produced grain and forage legumes can reduce exposure to trade, market and climate disruption while creating additional economic opportunities for farmers.
Over its five-year lifespan, PROCEED will use 11 regional hubs to test whether home-grown protein crops can move beyond small-scale trials and become commercially viable parts of livestock feed supply chains.
For UK farmers, the central question will be whether crops such as peas, beans and forage legumes can offer a profitable alternative market for growers while helping livestock businesses source more of their protein closer to home.