Portuguese university helps lead €5.5m EU project on home-grown animal feed protein

Researchers at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa's biotechnology school are leading strategic work packages in ProFEED, a Horizon Europe project worth €5.5 million involving 15 organisations from eight countries. Around 96% of the protein raw materials used in EU animal feed are imported, and the project aims to build more resilient supply chains based on locally grown plant protein. Over four years, partners will test more than 130 soybean, lupin and alfalfa varieties under climate-adaptation scenarios, run on-farm trials and feeding experiments, and launch an open-access digital platform. The Portuguese team will also map Europe's feed legume landscape and organise demonstration pilots.