European farmers urge EU to scrap 10% duty on Ukrainian rapeseed and soy exports

The Spanish agricultural organization ASAJA, together with the European farmers’ association Copa-Cogeca, have appealed to the European Commission with a complaint about Ukraine’s 10% duty on the export of oilseeds – sunflower, rapeseed and soybeans. This is stated in the statement of the organizations.

According to the organizations, this step creates unfair competition on the EU market. According to them, Ukraine is trying to keep raw materials within the country so that the national processing industry can buy them at lower prices.

After processing, the products are exported to the European Union in the form of oil at significantly lower prices, with which European producers cannot compete, the statement says.

According to ASAJA, this has led to a sharp increase in imports of Ukrainian oil to the EU – from 2 million tons to over 3 million tons, which is about 41% of all oil supplies to the Union.

Spanish farmers say the situation has a double negative effect for the country, which is a major producer and processor of sunflower seeds. On the one hand, massive imports of cheap oil are putting pressure on domestic prices, reducing farmers’ incomes. On the other hand, processing plants are losing competitiveness due to the lower cost of Ukrainian products.

ASAJA also claims that the introduced duty contradicts the revised Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which entered into force in October 2025.

“Due to Ukraine’s unwillingness to stop this practice, ASAJA has officially appealed to the European Commission with a demand: to immediately achieve the abolition of the 10% duty. In case of refusal, to introduce appropriate duties on imports of Ukrainian oil in order to restore balance on the market,” the statement says.

Tags: soybean, rapeseed, duties, restrictions, export, EU, prices