Animal agriculture sits at the centre of some of the most consequential questions facing Europe's food system. Drawing on 30 interviews with farmers and experts across the EU, this report maps how the transition to a more future-proof livestock sector is already happening on the ground across four practical pathways and what policy needs to do to scale it. It translates these insights into concrete recommendations across key EU policy files, including the CAP, CMO, EU Livestock Strategy, and the Comprehensive Protein Plan.

Co-developed with value chain actors, this report presents a sector blueprint for scaling fava beans in Europe’s food and feed markets. It combines stakeholder insights and quantitative analysis to assess what it would take for protein crops to move from minor crops to a strategic pillar of Europe’s protein system by 2040, supporting farm incomes, strengthening strategic autonomy and improving environmental outcomes. The report brings together practical barriers and enabling actions across research and innovation, farming, processing and retail, outlining how targeted EU policy and coordinated industry action could unlock investment and demand at scale.

This report by Systemiq for The Protein Project investigates the potential of classical, biomass and precision fermentation technologies for food and feed. It quantitatively assesses whether a growing fermentation sector could improve environmental outcomes by 2040 (through reduced GHG emissions, land use and water use) and qualitatively assembles case studies showing how farmers and consumers interact with fermentation in practice.