€5.5m EU project targets Europe's 96% imported feed protein reliance

Almost 96% of the high-protein feed used in Europe is imported, and a new €5.5 million EU project wants to change that. The PROFEED project, funded under the EU's Horizon Europe programme, launches with the stated aim of developing sustainable locally sourced plant protein alternatives, regional roadmaps and EU-level policy recommendations, according to a European Commission statement.

The University of Leeds coordinates the work, drawing together 15 partners from eight European countries. The project links crop science, farming, feed technology, animal nutrition and policymaking across the entire value chain.

"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 PROFEED coordinator.

Why does the import reliance matter?

The Commission statement is blunt about the risk. Europe's near-total dependence on imported high-protein feed makes local farming vulnerable to supply chain disruption, fluctuating prices and environmental pressure.

"By increasing domestic production, we can reduce this dependency and promote stronger rural economies and more sustainable farming practices," the statement said.

The scale of the exposure is large. For context, Ireland alone manufactured roughly 6.5 million tonnes of compound feed in 2025, according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, with some 5.1 million tonnes of feed materials imported that year.

What will the project actually do?

PROFEED's field infrastructure is substantial:

• 40 farmers participating directly;
• 10 "lighthouse sites" — hubs and platforms supporting development and deployment of transformative innovative solutions;
• Four "communities of practice" for cross-organisational collaboration and knowledge sharing.

The work spans diverse European farming environments. Its purpose is to identify the key challenges and to test and validate solutions for expanding sustainable protein crop value chains for feed across Europe.

The scientific core begins with genetics. More than 130 soyabean, lupin and alfalfa accessions — plant samples or seed lots officially maintained within a genebank or germplasm collection — will be screened under controlled conditions, including current and future climate scenarios, to identify the most promising and resilient varieties.

"These will then be tested under real farming conditions across different European climatic regions, while animal trials will assess their potential for use in feed formulations for pigs, poultry and aquaculture species," the Commission statement said.

The assessment goes beyond agronomy. "Environmental and socio-economic impacts will then be assessed through life-cycle and techno-economic analyses," the statement continued.

An open-access digital platform will centralise data, tools, training resources and best practices on sustainable production and use of protein crops for animal feed. The ultimate deliverables, according to the Commission, are a harmonised European database, policy recommendations and a multilingual Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) supporting farmers, advisors, industry and policymakers.

What is the Irish picture?

Ireland illustrates both the reliance and the nuance. Minister Heydon said 80% of animal feed in Ireland derives from grazed grass and preserved forage. About 6.5 million tonnes of compound feed were manufactured in 2025.

"Approximately 2.2 million tonnes of home-grown cereals are produced – barley, wheat and oats (includes human consumption) and some 5.1 million tonnes (2025) imported," Heydon said.

For pigs and poultry, virtually all nutrition comes from compound feeds. The main imported commodities are maize and maize by-products, soyabean meal and hulls, rapeseed meal, vegetable oils and fats, and minerals and vitamins.

"Imports from the EU make up approximately 25% of imported feed, with the balance sourced from third countries, mainly Argentina, USA, Canada and Brazil," the minister said. Three-quarters of imported feed material therefore originates outside the bloc.

When does it run?

PROFEED runs from October 2026 to September 2030 — four years. Farmers and feed buyers should watch the first controlled-condition screening results of the 130-plus soyabean, lupin and alfalfa lines, and the rollout of the lighthouse sites across the eight partner countries, as early indicators of which protein crops could reach commercial feed formulations.