Austria: Breeding against the protein gap

Legumes only thrive on 2 to 3 percent of arable land in Europe. Not enough, as the initiators of the “Legume Generation” project think. 32 research institutions and breeding companies from 16 countries have therefore come together under the leadership of Lars-Gernot Otto from the German Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research to jointly pave the way for a European protein supply. 33 million tons of imported soy for Europe By February 2028, the aim is to accelerate the breeding of legumes and thus make their cultivation more productive and profitable. Because this is exactly where “Legume Generation” currently sees the problem: “Private investments in the breeding of legumes have so far been less profitable,” they say. “The way we grow and use protein plants in Europe” has a major influence on the world. After all, the EU's annual soy demand alone amounts to around 33 million tonnes, while only around 2.8 million tonnes are produced internally. The European ...