Protein crops are crops that provide substantial protein, a large class of naturally occurring complex combinations of amino acids. Such crops, including various oilseeds and

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

s, are important in meeting the

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

requirements of farm animals.

EU Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce th ...

designates certain protein crops as eligible for support, such as peas,

field bean Field bean is a general term for several plants found growing within fields or shrubbery and may refer to: *''Lablab purpureus'' (the hyacinth bean) *''Phaseolus vulgaris ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant gr ...

s, and sweet

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

References

*{{CRS, article = Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition, url = http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf, author= Jasper Womach Protein crops