Under the auspices of the Austrian soybean organization “Donau Soja” and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Hungary István Nagy, the fourth Donau Soja Congress was held on 24 November in Budapest, Hungary. Within the framework of the event, high-ranking representatives of the agricultural ministries of Germany, Slovakia, Moldova and Serbia reached an agreement on a common vision for the European protein strategy. Increasing the supply of protein for feed in Europe to 50% and the production of certified soybean seeds will ensure the development of protein crops on the Old Continent.
The common vision of the participants in the congress envisages that 50% of the protein supply for feed in Europe will be provided by local legume crops and soybeans produced in Europe. To achieve this, the quantities of soybeans required for compound feed must be reduced, and the cultivation of soybeans and other leguminous crops must be increased. The commitment to sustainable soybean supply will promote crop rotation, rural development, as well as the integration of Europe in an east-west direction, it was emphasized during the speeches at the Donau Soja Congress.
The President of the “Donau Soja” Association, Matthias Krön, noted that currently only 2% of the European arable area is sown with legume crops. “In order to increase the cultivation of legume crops, farmers must be incentivized in the right way. This can only be achieved by maintaining a functioning and sustainable food industry, which is directly dependent on the stability of quantity, yield and quality,” according to Matthias Krön.
The main challenge and task of European agriculture is to ensure its independence and ecologically sustainable protein supply. Therefore, the transition to certified soybean seeds from Europe plays a key role, because only in this way can long-term economic and environmental advantages be ensured, further pointed out in his speech the President of the “Donau Soja” Association.
The Chairperson of the Institute for Agrostrategies and Innovation, Svetlana Boyanova, was the Bulgarian delegate at the fourth “Donau Soja” Congress.
The “Donau Soja” Association is a non-governmental organization whose initiative for GMO-free soybeans plays a significant role in the European agricultural sector. The “Donau Soja” Association works with the aim of objectively improving the conditions for the successful cultivation of protein crops in Europe and for a minimum import of soybeans.
“Donau Soja” connects civil society, policymakers and key enterprises from all sectors along the value chain, starting from GMO-free seed production to the production of food of animal and plant origin. The headquarters of “Donau Soja” is located in Vienna. The organization consists of 240 members from all over Europe and has a total of six regional offices in Austria, Germany, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova. Donau Soja also has representations in Poland and Italy. Fifteen countries have signed the “Declaration on the Promotion of the Production of GMO-free Soybeans in Europe”. The Association is supported by the German Society for International Cooperation and by the Austrian Development Agency. www.donausoja.org
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