The cultivation of protein crops is in the spotlight. In the context of the Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy and to reduce dependence on imported soy, the European Commission wants more protein crops to be grown in the EU. Enough ambition, but what is possible in practice?
To get an answer to this, the Netherlands-Polish Chamber of Commerce (NPCC), together with the Dutch embassy in Poland and BNP Paribas Bank Polska, organized a webinar on the future of protein products in the EU and more specifically in the Netherlands and Poland.
Little demand for European protein
“There is still little demand for protein crops specifically grown in Europe or Poland,” says WiesÅ‚aw Å opaciuk researcher at the Polish Economic Institute for Agriculture and Food. "We cannot compete with the cheap GMO soy that comes from the American continent to the European market. The harvest risk of protein crops is high for the Polish farmer, and the return is lower than many other crops. Soy is in our climate It is also not the most suitable crop. We would be better off focusing on other crops, such as field beans and lupines, which are better suited here. But it stands or falls with the yields and the prices that arable farmers receive for them."
The Netherlands wants 5 times as many protein crops by 2030
According to the national protein strategy, the Netherlands wants to grow from 20.000 hectares of protein crops in 2020 to 100.000 hectares in 2030. Stefan Breukel policy officer at LNV doubts whether this is feasible. Like Å opaciuk, he points out the low yields of protein crops. "To make the cultivation profitable, we will have to be able to valorize all parts of the plant. Consider, for example, the harvest of beet leaves. This is now left on the land, but can also be used as a protein source."
In the Netherlands, research is also being conducted into the possibilities for refining grass to produce protein for pig feed. The residual product can be fed to cows that produce good milk, according to Breukel. "The first results are very promising, but this is still in the experimental phase."
Consumers must be willing to pay for it
Adam Zaleski, director of De Heus animal feed Poland, is also looking for alternatives to soy. "It is technically possible to make compound feed without soy. We are certainly open to that. A short chain and a good relationship with local farmers is important to us. But we do need a reliable large supply of consistent and good quality. ." He points out that the more expensive feed cannot be passed on in the price of the cattle for slaughter. This requires a cultural change among consumers.
We now meet human protein needs with approximately 60% animal protein. It is quite conceivable that this will drop to 40% or 50% in the coming years. As a result, the total demand for protein decreases. There is much less loss when consuming vegetable protein than when it is used as feed for meat production. According to the speakers, the demand for meat will certainly not disappear. Meat is too popular and too deeply embedded in our culinary culture for that.
“The consumer is not concerned about what feed the animals have been given for their meat,” says Grzegorz Kozieja of BNP Paribas. "To make the protein transition a success, we not only need smart farmers, suppliers and processors, but that also requires smart policies." Plant-based products must be made attractive to consumers. Many protein crops taste bitter. This can be reduced in the long term through plant breeding. “The food industry has an important task to develop tasty products that are a real alternative to meat,” says Breukel.
Unknown but not unloved
BNP Paribas has little experience with financing the protein chain in Europe. "As a bank, we are used to assessing financing on models that have been compiled based on previous experiences. That history is missing here. That is why we must quickly conduct research into what works and what does not in Europe," says Kozieja.
According to Å opaciuk, it is an illusion to think that we can significantly reduce the import of American soy within 10 or 20 years. "We can increase the share of protein from the EU, but imports remain necessary on a large scale." To stimulate protein production in the EU, crop yields can be subsidized. “An additional premium per tonne of protein produced provides more incentive than a fixed amount per hectare,” says Å opaciuk. "But I know several Dutch farmers who have come to Poland. They mainly grow potatoes or have dairy cows. That is not without reason."