PARIS, France (Reuters) — A European Union reform meant to promote production of protein-rich crops for animal feed could cut France’s reliance on costly and mostly genetically modified soybean imports by a third, depending on who receives the aid, growers said.
When EU leaders agreed on reforms to the $68 billion a year Common Agriculture Policy in June, they included the prospect that member states could use up to two percent of output-related subsidies for farmers to boost output of vegetable proteins.
It remains unclear whether and how the bloc’s other 27 members will apply this measure, but president Francois Hollande said earlier this month that France would use it as part of a wider plan to help livestock farmers who are struggling with a rise in costs linked to animal feed.
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Farmers who specialize in growing feed crops argue that part of the subsidies should go to them because their group funds research on improving yields.
“A realistic protein plan, which would lead to a French area of protein-rich crops of 800,000 hectares (two million acres), would boost domestic output by 1.2 million tonnes of soy meal equivalent, or 30 percent of the current deficit,” said Gerard Tubery, head of a French oilseed and protein growers group.
