Halting European Union soybean feed imports favours ruminants over pigs and poultry

The European Union relies on imports of soybean for protein-rich animal feeds. Scenarios of animal-source food supply in the EU under constraints relating to soybean production and imports for animal feed are assessed for effect on land use and human diets in the EU. The European Union (EU) livestock sector relies on imported soybean as a feed source, but feeding soybean to animals leads to a loss of macronutrients compared to direct human consumption, and soybean production is associated with deforestation. Here we show that 75-82% of current EU animal fat and protein production could be sustained without soybean imports while avoiding increased use of cropland for feed production within the EU. Reduced soybean feed exports, mainly from South America, would free up 11-14 million hectares outside the EU, but indirect land-use changes would increase demand for palm oil produced in southeast Asia. Avoiding imported soybean feeds would result in reduced EU pork and poultry production; increased plant-based food consumption would be required to maintain the supply of essential nutrients for human diets. Optimizing livestock production to overcome dependency on imported soybean feed can reduce cropland demand in deforestation-prone areas while supporting the nutritional requirements of EU diets-but will require progressive policies targeting all aspects of the food system.

Automated summary

The study suggests that reducing the EU's dependency on imported soybean feed can avoid increasing cropland use within the EU for feed production. However, this may result in lower EU pork and poultry production, requiring an increase in plant-based food consumption to maintain the nutritional balance of human diets.