The European Parliament has just adopted by a majority the Denanot report "A European strategy for the promotion of protein crops". The report analyses the needs for plant proteins. It is an opportunity to strengthen the EU's independence from external markets, to promote sustainable food and agriculture that is more respectful of biodiversity and soils. The protein crop sector represents one of the most crucial challenges for tomorrow's food security.
Ahe European Parliament has just adopted the Denanot report "A European strategy for the promotion of protein crops" by a majority on 17 April 2018. This report analyses the needs in plant protein in the European Union and proposes concrete courses of action that could be integrated into the post-2020 CAP.
For Jean-Paul Denanot, Member of the European Parliament for the Auvergne-Centre-Limousin region, who has just handed over to her replacement. Karine Gloanec Maurin for June 11th, a European strategy is needed to ensure food security in the EU (risk of no longer being or poorly supplied with soya) but also to respond to environmental and climate issues. He said that "we need to to rethink in depth a sustainable agricultural food system in which protein must find its full place, in order to give us as much room for manoeuvre and action as possible to reduce our dependence on plant proteins".. The European Union continues to suffer from a significant deficit in vegetable proteins, even though the subject has been on the table for more than ten years. « We remain today dependent on more than 90 % from third countries, says Jean-Paul Denanot. This finding is not tenable, either from a food safety, social or environmental point of view"..
Jean-Paul Denanot also stresses in his report the need to look at all sources of protein: seed legumes such as oilseeds (rapeseed, sunflower, soya) and protein crops (peas, chickpeas, beans, lupine, fababeans), or forage legumes (alfalfa, clover for example). Taking into account these different protein sources would, according to him, "enable all the regions of Europe to be involved in a collective process of sustainable development and reduction of our protein dependence".
The European Parliament therefore wants the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to be equipped with additional measures to support the cultivation of plant proteins.
For French Socialist MEPs, this report puts the protein crop sector back on track as one of the most crucial issues for tomorrow's food safety.
The adoption of the Directive was an opportunity to call on the European Commission to work towards strengthening the EU's independence from external markets, promoting sustainable food and agriculture that is more respectful of biodiversity and soil.
Pulses have many advantages: they have the unique property of capturing atmospheric nitrogen, which allows farmers to use less nitrogen fertilizer, generate many co-products and are fully integrated into the circular economy. It is essential that this medium- and long-term "protein plan" should make the most of protein-rich crops, but also forage and grassland areas! Incentives for the production of nitrogen-fixing plants must be at the heart of the future CAP, through a set of measures such as coupled aid, crop associations and support for ecosystem services.
Header photo: Protein peas
