ABOUT NUTRIFEEDS

Nourishing Europe's future through regenerative livestock feed

Nutrifeeds is a Horizon Europe research and innovation project that aims to revolutionize how animal feed is produced, sourced, and valued across Europe. By developing regenerative and circular feed solutions, the project contributes directly to the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, the Green Deal, and the transition toward a climate-neutral food system. 

 

At its core, Nutrifeeds promotes a new vision for livestock nutrition, one that nourishes animals, restores ecosystems, and empowers local communities. 

Why Nutrifeeds matters

Europe’s livestock sector faces three pressing challenges: 

  • High dependency on imported protein sources such as soy. 
  • Limited circularity and inefficient use of agri-food by-products. 
  • Growing environmental and animal welfare concerns. 

 

These challenges not only affect farmers’ resilience but also increase the environmental footprint on the food system.

Nutrifeeds responds by closing nutrient loops, reducing waste, and developing locally sourced feed ingredients that are sustainable, ethical, and economically viable. 

 

Through innovation and collaboration, the project aims to make Europe’s feed system more autonomous, regenerative, and resource-efficient. 

What we aim to achieve

Nutrifeeds focuses on four key objectives that define its mission: 

 

  1. Develop sustainable, local, and regenerative feed sources → Harnessing insect upcycling, targeted fermentation, and underused crops to replace imported protein. 
  2. Promote circularity and resource efficiency → Transforming agricultural side-streams into valuable feed ingredients, minimizing waste and emissions. 
  3. Improve animal health, welfare, and productivity → Creating balanced feed formulations that enhance gut health, microbiome diversity, and animal wellbeing. 
  4. Support policy, training, and long-term adoption → Engaging with stakeholders through the European Centre for Regenerative Animal Nutrition (EC-RAN) to turn research into real-world change. 

How we will do it

The Nutrifeeds consortium brings together leading universities, research centres, and industry partners from across Europe. 

Together, they are combining biotechnology, data science, and sustainable farming practices to create scalable, practical solutions. 

 

Key scientific and technical activities include: 

 

  • 🪰 Insect upcycling to transform organic residues into high-protein feed. 
  • 🧫 Targeted fermentation to enhance nutrient quality and digestibility. 
  • 🌳 Silvopasture and agroforestry systems that regenerate soil and biodiversity. 
  • 🤖 AI-driven decision tools to support efficient and sustainable feed management. 

 

By integrating these approaches, NUTRIFEEDS demonstrates how nature-based and digital innovations can work together to reshape livestock feed systems. 

Long-term impact

Beyond research, Nutrifeeds is committed to ensuring lasting impact through: 

 

  • Open-access scientific results and data. 
  • Collaboration with other EU-funded initiatives under the Farm to Fork cluster. 
  • Policy recommendations and standards for regenerative feed systems. 
  • The creation of EC-RAN, a European hub for training, knowledge exchange, and innovation uptake. 

 

The project’s ultimate goal is to reduce Europe’s dependency on imported protein, support sustainable farming, and contribute to global food security, while regenerating ecosystems and empowering local economies.