Netherlands: Dutch Ministry of Agriculture Launches National Protein Strategy

On December 22, 2020, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality presented a National Protein Strategy by which it aims to enhance the cultivation of protein-rich crops over the next five to ten years. The Dutch strategy follows a European Union (EU)-wide ambition to reduce dependency on protein imports and to increase production of plant proteins at the EU level. The Netherlands is dependent on imports for roughly 80 percent of its vegetable protein, and is the largest importer of soybeans in the EU. The National Protein Strategy touches on the Ministry's goal to obtain proteins from residual flows, as well as from other sources (such as beet leaves, brewer's grains, kitchen waste, etc.). In addition, other projects (such as identifying how proteins can be extracted from seaweed and what options there are to use vegetable proteins as a meat replacement for human consumption) are also part of the Strategy.

Netherlands: Dutch Ministry of Agriculture Launches National Protein Strategy