Prospective Cultivation Area of Field Peas Used in Animal Meat Substitutes in the EU

Abstract

Meat alternatives from leguminous raw materials are expected to play an increasing role in human nutrition. Additional global cultivation areas and additional general cultivation potential for peas as raw material for meat substitutes are projected to increase. The aim of the present study is to estimate the prospective area of peas for pea-based meat alternatives in the EU within a simple model calculation. With a consumption share of 2 % for pea‐based meat alternatives in the EU, the effects on the production volume and pea cultivation area would remain relatively small. With an increased consumption share of pea‐based meat alternatives of 12.5 % the pea cultivation area would rise to almost 100 % compared to the current cultivated area. By the third scenario with a consumption of 40 % pea-based meat, the cultivated area would triple. However, the additional share of the pea cultivation area in the total arable area in the EU would be only a small additional increase. Thus, increased pea cultivation would only have minor effects on competition for agricultural land. If pea-meat replaced animal meat, land used for animal feed production would become available.