Imports of US soya beans to Europe increased by 112% in the second half of last year, according to the European Commission.

The increase equals 5,181,833t and means the US remains Europe’s main supplier of soya beans, with a 75% share of EU soya bean imports.

Conversely, Europe is also the top destination for US soya beans, receiving 28% of all exports last year.

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Animal feed

US soya beans are quite competitively priced and the EU imports roughly 14m tonnes every year as a source of protein as animal feed for the cattle, pig and poultry industries.

The commission also has plans to use US soya beans as a source of biofuel and launched a public consultation on a decision to authorise their use for biofuels in Europe in December 2018.

There are some concerns that reliance on soya beans that are sourced from genetically modified (GMO) crops will hamper efforts to create GMO-free food products which appear to be gaining commercial traction among consumers.

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