As German biodiesel trade loses momentum, UFOP calls for spirited biofuels policy

Germany’s foreign trade in biodiesel is showing a decline in 2025.

According to data from the German Federal Statistical Office, biodiesel exports dropped just over 16 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, falling to 1.4 million metric tons.

Imports declined slightly less, with Germany purchasing 833,310 tons of biodiesel from abroad, approximately 9 percent less than a year earlier.

The export surplus decreased around 0.19 million tons, from 0.73 million tons the previous year's period to 0.54 million tons.

The Netherlands remains Germany’s primary trading partner, serving as a hub for overseas imports via ports such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI), larger shipments also came from Malaysia and Belgium, although volumes remained below last year’s levels.

EU member states continue to be the main recipients of German biodiesel exports, particularly the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria and France.

While the Netherlands reduced its imports just over 22 percent year-on-year, Belgian imports declined approximately 5 percent.

From the perspective of the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e. V. (UFOP), these exports are an essential outlet to relieve pressure on the German rapeseed-oil and biodiesel markets.

They help keep the oil mills working at full capacity and secure market supply with rapeseed meal as a protein source.

The association said it considers the future of biodiesel in Germany to be challenging due to manifold uncertainties caused by U.S. tariff policies targeting the EU, Brazil, Canada and especially China.

The UFOP has pointed out that the U.S., Canada and Brazil view their national biofuels policies also as active instruments for regulating agricultural prices and incomes.

The association has contended that, in contrast, Germany and the EU are merely administering the status quo.

The UFOP has reiterated its rejection of the proposed cap on biofuels derived from cultivated biomass, as outlined in the German federal ministry for the environment’s draft bill to amend the greenhouse-gas quota.

According to the UFOP, biofuels represent an easy access to defossilize the existing vehicle fleet—an option overlooked in the current debate on fossil-fuel vehicles.

The association has emphasized that biofuels must instead be thought of as the foundation of a fuel strategy.