The European Commission has published its new Protein Action Plan alongside a Livestock Strategy, aiming to boost the resilience of Europe’s agri-food sector and address market challenges.

The plans, launched yesterday (7 July 2026), aim to reduce dependencies on imports and reinforce European food security by strengthening domestic and circular resources.

In 2025, only 25% of protein from oilseeds and protein crops were sourced in the European Union. Aiming to increase the supply and use of EU-grown protein, the new Protein Action Plan includes an ambition to increase the share to 35% within the next decade.

The Commission said it will support European protein crop production and improve the competitiveness of EU-grown proteins through encouraging innovation, investment, diversified diets and improved monitoring of protein dependencies.

The plan identifies opportunities to diversify the EU’s current reliance on major exporters of soya beans and other plant proteins, a requirement that has heightened amid geopolitical and climate disruptions resulting in supply chain volatility.

It highlights the potential role of the EU neighbourhood, noting that Ukraine could play a bigger part in the EU’s plant protein imports with a production of 13.5 million tonnes of plant-based protein annually. In a perspective accession, Ukraine could increase the EU’s plant protein autonomy from 76% to 86%, the Commission said.

Other measures highlighted by the Commission to increase autonomy include providing incentives for European farmers to promote domestic production of pulses and soya, prioritising crops suitable for local conditions. In 2024-2025, the EU imported 13.4 million tonnes of soya bean and soya meal protein according to USDA data, with Brazil, Argentina and the US supplying the majority.

Additionally, funding could support processing infrastructure and facilitate improved collaboration across the protein crop value chain.

Within the Livestock Strategy, the Commission sets out ambitions to bolster the sector’s competitiveness and improve animal welfare and sustainability. Measures addressed include managing the impact of animal diseases, funding the transition to cage-free systems and circular technologies, and developing harmonised methods for calculating and monitoring livestock emissions at farm level.

Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, said: “The Livestock Strategy and the Protein Plan set out one common ambition: to strengthen Europe's food security, reinforce our strategic autonomy and help sustain vibrant rural communities, especially in regions at risk of land abandonment”.

“To achieve this, we must move beyond polarising debates and focus on practical solutions. We want EU farmers to be profitable and more prepared to manage risks.”

The plan focuses largely on the role of protein crops for feed materials, putting forward a goal to increase the share of protein from oilseeds and protein crops produced in the EU and used as animal feed from 25.8% to 35% by 2035.

Non-profit organisation the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe welcomed the plan and its recognition of the need to grow more protein crops.

However, it noted a ‘missed opportunity’ for farmers who need confidence to transition toward growing protein crops for human consumption. It also noted the lack of proposals to invest in affordability, taste and convenience challenges associated with plant proteins, as well as in modern fermentation technologies for human food production rather than solely from an animal feed perspective.

This comes as China puts forward proposals to become a global leader in plant-based meat and precision fermentation technologies, with a recent report from Systemiq projecting that China will reduce soy imports by 25% by 2030 and that alt-proteins will meet up to 55% of China’s domestic animal protein demand by 2050.

Alex Holst, head of EU policy at GFI Europe, said: “It’s positive that the Protein Action Plan outlines the potential of protein diversification to reduce the EU’s dependence on imported crops, but building a more resilient and healthy food system will require more than warm words”.

“The plan lacks funding commitments to scale up plant-based proteins and fermentation, and proposals to support farmers to grow the crops needed for these foods. With China threatening Europe’s position as a world leader in protein diversification, the EU risks missing out on significant economic opportunities and remaining exposed to fragile global supply chains.”