UK rapeseed production in sharp decline

Facing record-low plantings of rapeseed at 240,000 hectares, the United Kingdom is forecast to produce just 720,000 tonnes of the oilseed in marketing year 2025-26, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

The FAS outlook, if realized, compares to 824,000 tonnes in 2024-25 and 1.2 million tonnes in 2023-24. Hectares have seen an equally dramatic slip from 391,000 in 2023-24 and 293,000 in 2024-25.

For 2025-26, stocks are forecast to remain slightly under 90,000 tonnes, roughly the minimum needed to provide security of supply to the country’s crushing plants, with the low carryout figure a result of the domestic crop’s decline.

“Growers have become disillusioned with rapeseed after suffering from low yields, poor growing conditions, and pest pressures in previous years and have consequently turned to alternative land uses with more reliable returns, such as guaranteed contractual payments from UK agri-environment schemes,” the FAS said.

With domestic production in 2024-25 constituting less than half the domestic supply, the UK is forecast to become even more reliant on imports of rapeseed to feed crushing facilities, the FAS said. The UK primarily utilizes rapeseed for crush byproducts, specifically rapeseed meal and rapeseed oil.

The FAS projects imports to reach 1.06 million tonnes in 2025-26, up from an estimated 975,000 tonnes year on year and from 743,000 tonnes in 2023-24 with the European Union and Ukraine providing most of the supplies. Crush for 2025-26 and 2024-25 is forecast at 1.7 million tonnes.

Recovering livestock numbers in 2025-26, particularly for pigs and poultry, are forecast to drive higher feed demand for both rapeseed meal and soybean meal, with soybean meal remaining the preferred choice. The UK is a major producer and exporter of meat and dairy products.

Rapeseed meal production is forecast to rebound in 2025-26 to 1.3 million tonnes, a jump from 970,000 tonnes the previous year.

Demand for rapeseed oil remains high and is expected to grow in the coming years, in part due to a shift away from alternatives, such as palm oil, which are perceived as less sustainable options, the FAS said. The UK predominately produces oil for food use with a small, but stable, quantity for industrial use.

Rapeseed oil production is expected to fall sharply from 750,000 tonnes in 2023-24 to an estimated 680,000 tonnes in 2024-25, principally due to the low availability of domestically produced rapeseed, insufficient imports to fill the gap and the reduced crush volume. Production levels are forecast to stabilize in 2025-26 at 680,000 tonnes.

Recovering livestock numbers also will drive increased demand for soybean meal in 2024-25 and 2025-26, boosting demand for domestically produced soybean meal and imported soybean meal to meet increased feed requirements.

The UK is forecast to import a little over 2 million tonnes of soybean meal and just under 1 million tonnes of soybeans for domestic crush to meet demand in 2025-26.

Argentina remains the key exporter of soybean meal to the UK, with almost 45% of market share, due to its price competitiveness and high protein content, the FAS said. Brazil is the top supplier of soybeans to the UK, with the United States and Canada also in the market.

Tags: UK, rapeseed