In April 2026, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (FH-SWF) participated in the event «Towards a Legume Renaissance in Europe: A discussion on how to support protein crops for food & feed in Europe» at the European Parliament — an ocassion to highlight the growing strategic importance of protein crops for Europe.
The event brought together policy-makers, researchers and representatives from the agricultural and processing sectors to discuss future support for grain legumes in Europe.
Key issues from BELIS WP7 were directly addressed. These include the economic and institutional conditions for the development of functioning legume value chains in Europe. Reducing dependence on soybean imports from the Americas was clearly identified as the overarching policy objective. Existing barriers in the European legume sector were discussed constructively, including short-term supply contracts in the food sector, fragmented markets and insufficient investment in breeding and processing.
Of particular interest were also practical examples from farmers in Germany, Norway and Spain, who presented innovative business models relating to legume cultivation and primary processing on their farms. Examples mentioned included the processing of faba beans into falafel, and the dual use of indeterminate faba bean varieties. Overall, the event clearly demonstrated that scientific findings and project work on legumes are increasingly being taken on board by policymakers, who are sending clear signals of stronger future support for pulses.
