Increasing mitigation of GHG emissions and feed efficiency through feed additives

This destination will support the EU Commission priority ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’.

R&I will provide new knowledge and innovation in support of the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, built on the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture, to ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our farming, fisheries, aquaculture and food sector within the boundaries of our planet. The implementation of the Green Deal actions will continue to guide R&I in this destination to foster sustainable food systems, addressing potential trade-offs between economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability.

The R&I activities under this Destination will contribute to the ambitious objectives of the current CAP concerning the competitiveness and sustainability of feed, food and non-food production as well as additional future CAP policy priorities. More specifically, actions will contribute to the specific objectives of the CAP; EU action plan for the development of organic production; food safety regulations; sustainable use of pesticides requirements under the plant protection products framework; action plan against antimicrobial resistance; animal health and welfare legislations; legislative and non-legislative initiatives to enhance cooperation of primary producers and improve their competitiveness and position in the food chain; protein strategy; contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security and communications on food security and fertilizers, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

R&I will also support the announced Vision for the Fisheries Sector with a 2040 perspective and the European Ocean Pact, a framework of coherence across all policies linked to the ocean. R&I will also be relevant to the outcomes of the evaluation of the common fisheries policy (CFP) and will support its placement under this Pact, as fisheries and aquaculture are affected by other ocean related policies.

An important driving force of food systems transformation should be the integration of sectors, actors (including citizens and consumers) and policies. This will involve a better understanding of the multiple interactions between the components of current food systems, to foster solutions that maximise co-benefits with respect to the priorities of Food 2030^[1].

The EU Communication on Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the^[2] EU provides an overview of the application of biotechnologies in several sectors including food and feed. R&I activities in this destination will also contribute to achieving the objectives of the Strategy for European Life Sciences, the EU Biotech Act, and the new EU bioeconomy strategy.

The Destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions^[3].

Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out credible paths to “ensuring healthy food and nutrition security by making agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems sustainable, resilient, inclusive and within planetary boundaries”. More specifically, proposed topics should contribute to one or more of the following expected impacts:

• agriculture and food systems contribute to ensuring a secure, safe, sustainable, nutritious, and affordable supply of healthy food in Europe and beyond by fostering its long-term competitiveness, resilience, scalability and sustainability within the boundaries of our planet with the One Health approach;
• farmers are empowered to ensure the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the farming sector, through increasing knowledge, tools, innovative solutions, and advice that allow efficient productivity, working for and with nature, preserving and restoring biodiversity within agricultural ecosystems and helping to decarbonise the EU economy;
• sustainable fisheries and aquaculture (in marine, brackish and freshwater) contribute to fair, healthy, resilient and environment-friendly food systems in healthy aquatic ecosystems with thriving diversity of species and habitats providing ecosystem and climate services and triggering growth and jobs’ creation in coastal and rural areas;
• tools are provided so that citizens and communities are empowered to make the sustainable food choices and move towards safe, healthy, nutritious, accessible, affordable and sustainable diets. Insights and advances in life science and digital & data technologies are valorised to deploy solutions in practice across the EU;
• food businesses, including food processing industries and SMEs, are supported to increase their resilience and competitiveness, while ensuring resource efficiency and sustainability, and human, animal and ecosystem health is preserved.

[1] The four priorities of Food2030 are: 1) nutrition and health; 2) climate and environmental sustainability; 3) circularity and resource efficiency; and 4) innovation and empowering communities.

[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52024DC0137.

[3] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• farmers experience increasing benefits from the adoption of safe, efficient, practical and affordable improved or novel feed additives and related practices that reduce GHG and air pollutants emissions, minimize environmental impact and have neither adverse effects on animal productivity nor on animal welfare;
• Farmer and agricultural advisors gain improved access to knowledge, resources and distribution channels for feed additives, that favour the integration of these solutions into common practices;
• evidence-based recommendations are provided for the implementation of EU policies and strategies, including the CAP, relevant to sustainable livestock farming systems, while also serving as a resource for regulatory authorities.

Scope:

The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to the EU Green Deal objectives for resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, the EU climate policy, the methane strategy, the Vision for Agriculture and Food, and the EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production^[1].

Livestock production significantly contributes to GHG emissions and resource consumption, making it essential to improve feed efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Enteric fermentation in ruminants produces substantial methane emissions, while inefficient feed conversion increases feed demand, land use, and pollution. Developing and implementing effective feed additives can lower methane production, enhance nutrient utilization, and reduce nitrogen excretion, supporting sustainable livestock farming, improved profitability for farmers, and global climate goals.

Reducing methane emissions from ruminants contributes to environmental sustainability by lowering the climate and environmental impact of livestock production, while also supporting economic sustainability for farmers through improved productivity and cost savings. Only a handful of additives have demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing methane emissions or have become commercially available. The limited availability of reliable options and the challenges posed by inconsistent efficacy and applicability across diverse production systems represent a constraint. Proposals should address various terrestrial livestock systems, from conventional to extensive systems, considering regional feeding systems. Proposals should address at least farmed large ruminants.

Proposals should address all the following activities:

• develop and test a wide range of additives that reduce emissions in operational environment (reaching TRL 7), their synergies and optimal delivery strategies for diverse terrestrial livestock systems, including extensive and grass-based systems, both under conventional and organic production. Impacts on animal health, welfare, performance, product quality, and net GHG emissions and air pollutants, and potential trade-offs among these factors should be addressed;
• identify clear endpoints for risk assessment of feed additives to demonstrate their safety and define complementarity criteria to demonstrate their effectiveness and environmental impact, all supported by scientific evidence;
• verify the practicalities, applicability, scalability and socio-economic-environmental impacts, including trade-offs with other environmental and social dimensions, of using feed additives across different production systems and in different feeding scenarios;
• promote and facilitate a standardised data collection system for quality control procedures and record-keeping practices that ensures consistency across stakeholder groups and meets the requirements for accurate reporting, keeping in mind the EU^[2] and EFSA regulatory framework from the inception and for feed additives;
• identify strategies like improved distribution networks, farmer education programmes, and possible subsidies or incentives to make new innovative feed additives that reduce livestock emissions more affordable;
• assessing consumer perception to understand attitudes towards the use of feed additives to reduce emissions in livestock production and identify key factors influencing their decisions.

The JRC participation could involve contributing to scenario assessment with the integrated agro-economic modelling platform (iMAP), sharing information, and contributing to dissemination of results.

To respect the ‘Do-No-Significant-Harm' (DNSH) principle, proposals need to properly address and exclude any potential risk of feed additives on the environment, animal or human health.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach and ensure adequate involvement of the main stakeholders involved in the livestock sectors, including farmers, advisors, private sector/industry (e.g., processors, feed manufacturers), policy-makers, consumers, etc.

Proposals should capitalise on research findings and tools, included those developed under previous and ongoing relevant research projects. Proposals should interact with relevant structures or organizations at European level and beyond such as FAO, Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership (LEAP, FAO)^[3], Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases^[4].

To better address the requirements of the topic, international cooperation is encouraged.

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[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0141R%2801%29

[2] Regulation (EC) 1831/2003, Regulation (EC) 767/2009

[3] https://www.fao.org/partnerships/leap/en/

[4] https://globalresearchalliance.org/research/livestock/networks/