China is trying to reduce soybean meal in animal feed to cut its reliance on imports. But new data from the China Feed Industry Association (CFIA) show no change. The soybean meal proportion stood steady at 13.4% in 2023, the same as 2022. Agricultural authorities had aimed to cut this share below 13% by 2025 and 10% by 2030. Soybeans are a major concern for China. The country imports over 80% of its soybeans, mainly from Brazil and the US. These imports largely go into making soybean meal for animal feed due to China’s growing meat demand. Efforts since 2023 to replace soybean meal with biosynthetic amino acids and other substitutes have made little impact. Wang Wenshen, an analyst at Sublime China Information, said, "It’s meaningful for cutting import reliance and safeguarding national food security, but in practice, the new technologies are still too costly." China remains the world’s biggest soybean buyer, with imports rising to a record 111.83 million tonnes last year, according to customs data. The government encourages other feed sources, such as microbial protein, processed table leftovers, and high-quality forage. The agriculture ministry’s plan requires the soybean meal share in animal feed to fall to 10% by 2030. A three-year action plan from 2023 targets an annual decline of over 0.5 percentage points to get below 13% by 2025. Wang added that few companies use alternatives due to high costs and technology needs. Small and medium firms lack the capital and expertise. He expects soybean demand to rise 2-5% yearly with China’s growing protein consumption. Muyuan Foods, a top pig farming firm in Henan, is developing low-soybean-meal diets using biosynthesised amino acids. The Chinese Animal Husbandry and Veterinary News reported Muyuan aims to save 20 million tonnes of soybeans if the method spreads across the industry. This is close to China’s annual soybean purchase promise from the US under the recent trade deal. Muyuan invested 143 million yuan (US$20.6 million) in 2024 and cut soybean meal in its feed to 7.3%, the report said. Other feed companies say they are open to alternatives if costs stay low. An anonymous manager noted, "It would be nice to replace soybean meal if there are less expensive options, but we must consider the output – after switching to new feed, will the animals be as healthy and robust as before?"