EU cuts rapeseed imports by 27% but increases rapeseed oil purchases by 70%

The European Union significantly changed the structure of its rapeseed product imports in MY 2025/26. According to USDA FAS estimates, rapeseed imports fell by around 27% compared with the previous season, while rapeseed oil imports surged by 70%.

The need for imported rapeseed declined as EU domestic production recovered, increasing by around 20%. A larger crop, particularly in major producing countries such as France and Germany, allowed European crushers to significantly reduce their dependence on imported raw material.

At the same time, demand for rapeseed oil grew faster than domestic production. EU consumption increased by 5.3% year-on-year, while rapeseed oil production rose by only 4.4%. Additional demand came from the biodiesel sector, while rapeseed oil also became more competitive compared with relatively expensive sunflower oil.

The EU covered the shortfall with imports, which increased by around 70% over the season. Ukraine remained the largest supplier of rapeseed oil to the EU, ahead of the United Kingdom and Canada. Thus, the larger domestic rapeseed crop reduced the bloc’s need for imported seed but did not eliminate its need for imported rapeseed oil.

For MY 2026/27, USDA FAS forecasts the EU rapeseed area to increase by 2.7% to 6.3 mln ha. However, due to an expected decline in average yields, production could edge down to 20.4 mln tons from 20.5 mln tons in MY 2025/26 despite the expansion in planted area.

Tags: EU, rapeseed, imports, rapeseed oil