Grain legumes – their role in European agriculture

Summary

Grain legumes are valuable protein and energy sources in animal feeds and in human diets low in meat. However, there is a considerable gap between demand and production of feed protein in the European Union and it is expected to encourage the production and use of European produced grain legume crops in the future. Thus, there is a need to gain knowledge about choice of grain legume species and cropping strategies to secure a sufficient protein supply under different environmental conditions.