Study on feeding strategies to diversify protein sources used in different livestock production systems in the EU : executive summary

The 'Study on feeding strategies to diversify the protein sources used in different livestock production systems in the EU' aimed to analyse the opportunities and limitations for diversifying animal feed sources, with a focus on protein feeds that could be produced in the EU to limit EU dependency on imports. This study focused on the main types of livestock production systems at EU level. As such, the study had to meet several objectives: 1) describe the composition of feed rations for different types of livestock in the EU by identifying feeds produced in the EU and imported feeds, 2) identify the most representative livestock systems in the EU, 3) identify import dependencies and identify alternatives to imported feed, 4) identify ways to improve the resilience of the EU production chains of the sector, 5) collect best practices that could be implemented in the EU livestock sector, and 6) identify policy measures to enable diversification of protein feed sources in the EU and develop the EU self-sufficiency. The study is structured into four main steps: a descriptive part, an analytical part, a case studies step, and a conclusion chapter. The descriptive part provides a description of the functioning and current structure of livestock farms and manufacturers in the EU. The analytical part is based on 12 study questions analysing different alternative scenarios and assessing their impact on arable crop producers, livestock producers, feed manufacturers, the economy of the sector and the environment. An in-depth literature review, numerous interviews at EU level, three surveys, 10 case studies on 10 different livestock types and two modelling scenarios per case study have been carried out, with repetition in three Member States by case study. The case studies were focused on the collection of stakeholders' opinions on possible alternatives to imports, the setting up of scenarios to be studied by livestock type and their reaction to the scenarios modelled. The modelling scenarios made it possible to obtain detailed data on the different alternatives studied and on their economic and/or technical feasibility at cluster or Member State level depending on the case studies.