Press Release – Plant ETP Releases Implementation Strategy for EU Plant Protein Production and Uptake

Press Release

4th February 2025

Plants for the Future highlights the main barriers for the EU’s plant protein gap and puts forward an implementation strategy on how to concretely and realistically increase European plant protein production

Plants for the Future’s Working Group on Sustainable Agriculture published today An Implementation Strategy for Increasing European Plant Protein Production and Uptake. The strategy highlights the following main barriers to increasing EU plant protein production:

  1. the lack of long-term policy commitments needed to encourage stakeholders across value and supply chains to invest in increasing and scaling up EU plant protein production over several decades;
  2. the current biological limitations of EU plant protein crops, requiring at least 10-20 years of research, development and innovation before more competitive varieties would be ready for the EU market; and
  3. the need to establish and/or adapt infrastructures and value chains, particularly for crops that are not already widely grown in the EU.

The strategy also addresses what Plant ETP considers the main drivers determining the success of an implementation strategy for increasing EU plant protein production: the plant protein crops and the value and supply chain uptake.

By taking a holistic value chain wide perspective and involving stakeholders from across the chain, we address the different challenges and opportunities each player is facing and provide actionable recommendations that will deliver concrete benefits in the short, medium and long term to increase European plant protein production, thereby supporting more competitive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. ” says Amrit Nanda, Executive Manager of Plants for the Future.

Read the implementation strategy here.

Download the press release here.