In an own-initiative opinion, the EESC highlights the many benefits of a green EU strategy for expanding plant protein and plant oil production and proposes an outline for that strategy. These benefits include reducing the EU’s dependence on imports and contributing to the development of rural areas.

The EESC’s practical recommendations for a proposed strategy are in line with the EU’s aim to achieve strategic supply autonomy, the EESC stressed in the opinion, which was approved during its plenary in October.

Opinion rapporteur Lutz Ribbe said: “The EU is highly dependent on feed imports, with 75% of its high-protein plants sourced from abroad. The promotion of EU production of protein crops is essential and will also have a positive impact on biodiversity and the entire environment, as well as helping farmers reduce their use of mineral fertilisers.”

The many benefits of expanding plant protein and oil cultivation in the EU and increasing the role of grasslands in feeding animals include increased crop rotation, self-sufficiency in tractor fuel and greater availability of plant solids after processing, as these have excellent protein feed potential for livestock.

Overall, an EU strategy should take the interests of rural communities into consideration and contribute to sustainable rural development in line with the EU’s long-term vision.

The EESC recommends that the European Commission take a close look at the Commission on the Future of Agriculture set up by the German federal government and consider whether this format might be appropriate for developing a European protein strategy. (ks)