German vegetable oil producers face new competition

A new study has revealed that more countries outside the European Union are now meeting sustainable certification systems for vegetable oils.

Germany-based Union zur Forderung von Oel-und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP) believes domestic production of vegetable oils for biofuels, particularly rapeseed which is currently the most popular feedstock used for biofuels at the pump, could be under threat.

The report states:

‘In 2010 and 2011, German agriculture benefitted from the fact that practically only certified rapeseed from domestic production was available after the immediate national implementation of the Renewable Energies Directive (RED).

‘The raw material mix now determined reveals that the certification systems approved by the EU Commission have been introduced in countries outside the EU such as Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia. In other words, the supply of sustainably certified raw materials for biofuel production has become globalised.’

It is a stipulation of the international laws that market access may not be denied if the specified ground rules are complied with. But UFOP believes closer attention must be paid in respect to the quality of the national implementation and the certification introduced in the sense of fair competition, but also nature and environmental protection locally.