Europe has a protein problem. Not because there is too little protein being produced. The European Union produces plenty. The problem is where that protein comes from, how it is produced, and how dependent Europe is on supplies from elsewhere.

On 7 July 2026, the European Commission published its Action Plan for resilience, strategic autonomy and sustainability of the EU protein system.

The title may sound technical. But the issue behind it is increasingly important for farmers, food producers and consumers. Europe wants to become less dependent on imported protein, strengthen its agricultural supply chains and encourage more sustainable production at home.

And it has set itself a clear target: by 2035, the share of protein from oilseeds and protein crops that originates in the EU and is used as animal feed should rise from 25.8% to 35%. 

But the Plan is about more than a number.

The EU produces around 67 million tonnes of plant protein a year. Yet much of this comes from cereals and roughage rather than crops specifically rich in protein. When it comes to high-protein feed, Europe remains heavily dependent on imports. In 2024-25, the EU imported around 13.4 million tonnes of protein, largely in the form of soya beans and soya meal. Soya remains particularly important: around 94% of the soya protein used in EU livestock feed is imported. That dependence creates a vulnerability.

A disruption in global trade, a sharp change in commodity prices or geopolitical tensions can quickly affect the cost and availability of feed.

The Commission’s argument is therefore straightforward: producing more protein in Europe is not only an agricultural issue. It is a question of economic resilience and strategic autonomy.

For the strategy to work, European farmers will need to grow more protein crops. But farmers will not simply switch crops because policymakers want them to. Protein crops can face lower profitability, limited access to specialised knowledge and inputs, and a lack of suitable infrastructure and markets.

The Commission acknowledges these barriers directly. Its proposed response includes a range of measures under the future Common Agricultural Policy, including income support, environmental measures and new transition payments designed to help farmers manage the costs and risks of changing their production systems. That could mean support for farmers introducing protein crops into rotations, investing in new equipment or dealing with temporary losses while adapting their businesses.

The Plan also recommends that Member States consider protein diversification when designing measures for young farmers and generational renewal. That matters because the next generation of farmers may be more willing to experiment with new crops, technologies and business models – provided there is a viable economic case for doing so.

Growing more protein is only useful if someone is ready to buy it. This is one of the most important messages in the Commission’s Plan. Europe needs stronger protein value chains, including storage, processing, logistics and markets. The proposed post-2027 CAP would establish a dedicated protein crop sector, with measures aimed at investment, innovation, marketing, storage and risk management. The Commission also points to contracts between farmers and other value-chain actors as a way of improving price predictability and securing outlets for production. In other words, the goal is not simply to encourage farmers to grow more protein crops. It is to build a system in which there is somewhere for those crops to go. That distinction could prove crucial.

Much of the discussion around European protein dependence focuses on livestock feed and that is for good reason. The EU livestock sector uses around 74 million tonnes of protein as feed each year, while high-protein feed is particularly dependent on imports.

But the Commission’s Plan also looks at what Europeans eat. Around 64% of the protein consumed in the EU comes from animal products, compared with 36% from plant products. Pulses, for example, account for only around 2% of human protein intake. The Plan argues that making plant-based protein more available and affordable could support more diverse diets while creating new opportunities for European farmers and food businesses. It points to several possible tools: public procurement, consumer information, promotion campaigns, school schemes, labelling and national taxation policies. Importantly, however, these measures are largely about creating demand, rather than setting a single EU-wide target for human food protein comparable to the 35% feed benchmark. That leaves considerable room for Member States and the private sector to shape what happens next.

The Commission is also looking beyond traditional crops. Plant-based foods, fermentation, algae, insects and other emerging protein technologies all feature in the Plan. Fermentation receives particular attention. The Commission sees advanced fermentation as a complementary part of Europe’s future protein landscape, with potential to create new markets for agricultural feedstocks and side streams. The upcoming Biotech Act II is expected to support Europe’s competitiveness in industrial biotechnology and biomanufacturing, including advanced fermentation.

But the Commission is cautious. Alternative proteins must demonstrate that they are safe, sustainable and economically viable. Some production processes can also require significant amounts of energy. The message is therefore not that one protein source will replace another. It is that Europe needs more diverse and resilient sources of protein.

This is where science and innovation become particularly important. The Commission says that EU research programmes have already invested more than €190 million in research and innovation related to protein crops. Future priorities include:

• better-performing and more climate-resilient varieties;
• improved seeds and breeding;
• reducing fertiliser requirements;
• pest and disease management;
• intercropping and diversified farming systems;
• better processing technologies;
• improved nutritional quality and digestibility;
• new feed formulations;
• and stronger protein value chains.

New genomic techniques could also help develop crops that are more tolerant to drought, extreme weather, pests and disease, but research alone will not deliver the transition. The Plan repeatedly emphasises the importance of knowledge transfer and collaboration between researchers, farmers, advisers, businesses and policymakers. That is where practical demonstration and real-world experimentation become essential.

Perhaps the biggest message in the Plan is that there is no single solution. Europe cannot simply replace imported soya with one new crop and consider the problem solved. Different regions have different soils, climates, livestock systems and markets.

Some farmers may introduce pulses or soya into rotations. Others may integrate livestock and crops more closely. Some regions may invest in processing facilities. Others may focus on local feed or alternative protein technologies.

The Commission therefore presents the future protein system as a whole value chain. Farmers need incentives. Researchers need to develop suitable technologies and varieties. Processors need infrastructure. Livestock producers need affordable feed. Consumers need attractive and accessible food choices. And businesses need markets that make investment worthwhile.

Protein crops could offer environmental benefits as well as economic ones. Legumes can fix nitrogen, potentially reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers. Diversified rotations can contribute to soil health and biodiversity, while some protein crops can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with fertiliser use. The Plan also links protein diversification with carbon farming and emerging nature-credit systems. But the Commission does not present protein crops as a universal environmental solution. Crop choice needs to reflect local conditions, yields, water availability, climate and the role of each crop within the wider farming system. That is an important point.

Sustainability is not simply about growing more of one particular crop. It is about designing farming systems that work economically and environmentally in their specific context.

Many of the measures will depend on the future CAP, the next EU budget, Member State decisions and investment from businesses. The Commission is recommending that Member States use available policy tools to encourage protein diversification, support farmers, strengthen infrastructure and develop local value chains. It also plans to establish EU-level monitoring and protein dialogues with Member States.

The 35% target provides a clear benchmark for 2035. The more difficult question is how Europe gets there. Will farmers have enough incentive to change what they grow? Will processors invest in the infrastructure needed to create markets? Will consumers demand more plant-based protein? Can European livestock systems reduce their dependence on imported feed without undermining competitiveness? And can research turn promising protein crops and technologies into commercially viable solutions? These questions will shape whether the strategy succeeds.

This is where projects such as VALPRO Path become relevant. European protein policy can set targets and create incentives. But the transition ultimately happens in fields, farms, processing facilities and value chains. VALPRO Path has been exploring how plant protein production can become more sustainable, resilient and competitive through practical Innovation Production Systems across Europe.

From intercropping and variety testing to responses to drought and other environmental pressures, the project is generating knowledge about what protein production can look like under real farming conditions.

That evidence matters. Because Europe’s protein transition will not be delivered by policy alone. It will depend on whether the ideas behind the policy can work on the ground.

The EU’s new Protein Action Plan is ultimately about more than protein. It is about how Europe wants to build a food and farming system that is less vulnerable to external shocks, better able to use its own resources and capable of creating new opportunities for farmers and rural communities. The target of 35% by 2035 provides a headline. But the more interesting story is what happens underneath it: new crops in rotations, new processing capacity, new research, new markets and potentially new business models. The protein transition is already under way. The question now is whether Europe can turn its new strategy into a system that works – for farmers, businesses, consumers and the environment.