Biodiesel trade losing momentum

Foreign trade in biodiesel has noticeably slowed in 2025. German exports are declining, and imports are also tapering off.
The Netherlands, with key ports in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, remains the central hub.
Foreign trade in biodiesel is showing a decline in 2025.
According to data from the German Federal Statistical Office, biodiesel exports dropped just over 16% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, falling to 1.4 million tonnes.
Imports declined slightly less, with Germany purchasing 833,310 tonnes of biodiesel from abroad, approximately 9% less than a year earlier. The export surplus decreased around 0.19 million tonnes, from 0.73 million tonnes the previous year's period to 0.54 million tonnes.
The Netherlands remains Germany's primary trading partner, serving as a hub for overseas imports via ports such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam. According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI), larger shipments also came from Malaysia and Belgium, although volumes remained below last year's levels.
EU member states continue to be the main recipients of German biodiesel exports, particularly the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria and France. While the Netherlands reduced its imports just over 22% year-on-year, Belgian imports declined approximately 5%.
From the perspective of the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP), these exports are an essential outlet to relieve pressure on the German rapeseed oil and biodiesel markets. They help keep the oil mills working at full capacity and secure market supply with rapeseed meal as a protein source. The association considers the future of biodiesel to be challenging due to manifold uncertainties caused by US tariff policies targeting the EU, Brazil, Canada and especially China.
The UFOP has pointed out that the US, Canada and Brazil view their national biofuels policies also as active instruments for regulating agricultural prices and incomes. The association has contended that, in contrast, Germany and the EU are merely administering the status quo.