USSEC attended the IACA (Portuguese Feed Association) Annual Assembly in Lisbon. USSEC board member and United Soybean Board (USB) director Bob Metz and American Soybean Association (ASA) vice president Richard Wilkins joined USSEC Regional Director – Greater EU and MENA Brent Babb and USSEC consultant Lola Herrera for this marketing mission to Portugal and Spain.
The IACA assembly was attended by 150 people from Portugal’s feed industry, including importers, crushers, premix companies, and meat producers.

Mr. Wilkins presented a speech to the Assembly about sustainability and planting intentions in the U.S.
USSEC also participated in an industry panel discussion to talk about quality, explaining the difference among soybean qualities depending on origin with an emphasis on the superior quality of U.S. Soy.
Portugal, one of the southern EU countries, has a population of 10 million. Feed production in the country is about four million tons and it imports the greater part of its protein due to lack of local production. Portugal has imported over 425,000 metric tons of U.S. Soy so far this marketing year.

The mission to Portugal and Spain provided the USSEC team with an opportunity to meet and talk with the local industry. Mission attendees visited and met with top companies including: Bunge, which manages a crushing plant; Valouro, Portugal’s main poultry producer holding a 40 percent market share; Acembex, one of the most important grains and proteins distributors in Portugal; and Sovena and Iberol, main biodiesel producers, along with other relevant companies.