UK shift from soybean as Iran conflict raises global feed risks

UK – UK livestock producers are stepping up efforts to reduce their reliance on imported soybean meal, turning instead to home-grown pulses as sustainability pressures and global supply risks reshape feed strategies.

At the From Soya to Sustainability (FSTS) conference, Pioneer Pods was launched to accelerate the transition from imported soya to UK-grown protein crops. 

The programme brings together small, focused groups of arable and mixed farmers drawn from the Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) project’s Pulse Pioneers. The pods are designed to fast-track the adoption of domestic pulses, particularly faba beans, while strengthening supply chains and routes to market.

The move supports the NFU Sustainable Proteins Plan, which calls for a significant scale-up of UK pulse production to cut dependence on imported soya, improve farm resilience and lower greenhouse gas emissions across agriculture.

For years, nutritional and performance concerns have limited the inclusion of British pulses in monogastric diets. Poultry producers in particular have questioned whether home-grown beans can match the digestibility and consistency of soybean meal.

New research suggests that the gap may be closing. Professor Jos Houdijk, monogastric nutrition specialist at SRUC, presented trial results showing that processing methods such as de-hulling and toasting faba beans remove the production dip traditionally associated with higher inclusion rates in broilers and laying hens. 

According to the findings, treated beans improved feed performance and increased the potential to replace soya in commercial diets.

The results are now being tested at commercial scale. Brian Kenyon, senior poultry nutritionist at ABN, confirmed that broiler and free-range layer flocks fed de-hulled bean rations performed on par with birds on conventional soya-based diets. He added that moving bean inclusion from 5% to 10% of poultry diets could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of UK agriculture.

However, replacing soya at scale remains a major challenge. Modelling by The Andersons Centre indicates that the UK would require around 1.6 million tonnes of beans to replace just half of the soybean meal currently used in animal feed. 

To support this expansion, the Nitrogen Climate Smart project has appointed 30 Pulse Pioneers to conduct paid on-farm trials aimed at improving yields, crop consistency and agronomic performance. 

Independent benchmarking by ADAS YEN shows many participating growers outperforming national yield averages by about 1 tonne per hectare.

Global pressures add urgency

Beyond sustainability, geopolitical tensions are adding urgency to the shift. Escalating conflict involving Iran has heightened volatility in global energy markets. 

Higher crude oil and natural gas prices directly affect fertiliser production, drying costs and feed milling operations, increasing compound feed prices. Nitrogen fertiliser manufacturing is particularly exposed to spikes in gas prices, which could raise input costs for both soybean exporters and UK arable producers.

Energy disruption also affects global shipping and freight insurance rates. Soybeans imported into the UK, largely from South America and the United States, are vulnerable to higher transport costs if fuel prices rise or maritime trade routes face instability. 

While the UK does not import significant volumes of soy directly from Iran, global commodity markets are interconnected. Any supply shock or price rally can ripple through oilseed and protein meal markets, tightening margins for feed manufacturers.

For poultry, pig and aquaculture producers, higher feed costs translate into immediate pressure on production economics, as feed accounts for the largest share of total input costs. A diversified domestic protein base could help buffer the sector against such external shocks.

As sustainability targets tighten and global uncertainties persist, the UK feed industry appears increasingly willing to test whether locally grown pulses can deliver both environmental and economic resilience.

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