Brazil leads in EU soybean imports

Soybeans remain by far the most important oilseed crop imported into the EU, ahead of rapeseed.

While soybeans are primarily used to address the EU’s feed protein deficit, rapeseed imports help meet oil demand for biofuel production.

Unlike soybeans used for feed, this intended use requires the submission of corresponding sustainability and proof of origin certificates.

However, in the first three months of the current season the EU imported fewer soybeans than in the previous year.

According to data from the EU Commission, the EU purchased just under 3.3 million tonnes of soybeans between July and early October 2025.

This represents a decline of around 129,000 tonnes compared to the same period in the 2024/25 season.

Brazil and the US remain the top suppliers, although Brazil has significantly reduced its shipments, according to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft.

Specifically, the EU received 1.8 million tonnes of soybeans from Brazil during the first three months, down about 14% from the 2024/25 reference period – reducing Brazil’s share of total imports to 56.3%.

Nevertheless, Brazil remains by far the EU’s most important source of soybeans.

Over the same period, imports from the US rose approximately 7% to 970,700 tonnes, increasing the US share of the EU’s total soybean imports to 29.6%.

Growth in imports from Ukraine was even more pronounced: the country delivered 345,200 tonnes to the EU market, an increase of roughly 45 per cent. Imports from Canada and Togo also rose, though on smaller scale.

Until mid-September, however, imports were still higher than during the same period a year earlier.

The impending introduction of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by the end of the year had prompted importers to stockpile supplies in the first three months of the marketing year.

Imports then slowed considerably when the regulation’s entry into force was postponed. Market participants and industry associations expressed relief at the delay. The main reason for the postponement was the EU Commission’s own doubts about the functionality of the required database and member states’ IT systems.

Tags: demand, feed protein, Ukraine, Brazil, EU, soybeans, US, Production, rapeseed, imports, biofuel