Portugal’s government to propose national plant-based protein strategy –  Will the EU follow?

The Portuguese government has made headlines with its groundbreaking commitment to develop a national plant-based protein strategy as part of its updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).

The NECP‘s outlines EU Member-States’ plans for a sustainable transition and are  submitted for analysis by the European Commission. 

Although most policies are focused on the energy transition, the Portuguese plan acknowledges that “Promoting a diversified diet, including reducing the consumption of animal proteins and promoting the consumption of plant-based protein alternatives, not only reduces GHG emissions from the agricultural sector, but also promotes healthier nutrition.”

Developed by an EPP government, the NECP pledges to develop a national strategy to promote the consumption of plant-based protein with demand and supply side measures.

From page 203 of the Portuguese NECP.

The initiative represents a significant achievement after years of advocacy by EVU member,  ProVeg Portugal, working alongside more than 15 Portuguese and European organizations to emphasize the importance of plant-based diets in reducing emissions, supporting environmental sustainability and improving public health.

Joana Oliveira, Director of ProVeg Portugal, welcomed the initiative as a step towards meaningful transformation. “This plan represents a significant opportunity to reimagine our food system. The challenge now lies in developing clear funding mechanisms, detailed timelines and robust metrics to measure success.”

Despite its groundbreaking nature, the strategy still lacks specifics. The Portuguese government has yet to outline how these measures will be implemented or the scale of resources to be allocated.

Will an EU strategy follow?

Portugal could thus join Member-States such as Denmark, Germany and Netherlands with significant policies on plant-based foods. With further countries such as Czechia, Ireland, Luxembourg and Estonia recently supporting protein diversification in European Council discussions.

This comes at a time when calls for the European Commission to promote more plant-based foods multiply. Recently, hundreds of stakeholders including farmers and NGO’s working on health, consumer protection, climate, food and animal welfare published a joint letter asking  for an EU Action Plan on Plant-Based Foods. Another 80+ stakeholders, including farmers and companies published a joint paper for protein diversification in the EU. Additionally, a group of over 20 MEP’s from several political groups  wrote a letter to the Agriculture and Food Commissioner, Christophe Hansen, calling for an EU strategy for protein diversification.

With the Commissioner’s Vision for Agriculture to be published on the 19th of February, and the EU focused on increasing competitiveness and food security, the question is now whether plant-based diversification will be part of an EU-wide plan.

For Rafael Pinto, Senior Policy Manager at the EVU “This is one of the most consensual proposals for the future of EU agriculture, gathering support on all sides of the table, from farmers to doctors, diverse NGO’s, companies and policymakers.” adding that  “an EU Action Plan on Plant-Based Foods or equivalent Protein Diversification Strategy is not just needed, but essential to ensure our economic, health, climate and security goals”.