EU soybean imports decline

Soybeans are the most important oilseed crop imported into the European Union, ahead of rapeseed, but between July 2025 and mid-March 2026, the EU imported the lowest soybean volume in three years. 

According to data from the European Commission, the EU purchased just over 8.7 million metric tons of soybeans between July 1, 2025, and March 15, 2026, representing a drop of around 1.1 million tons compared to the same period in the 2024-’25 season.  

The U.S. and Brazil remain the most important supplier countries, although neither matched the previous year’s volumes.  

At 4.1 million tons, the EU received a significantly lower volume of soybeans from the U.S. in the first eight and a half months of the current season compared to the same period a year earlier (5.2 million tons).  

Consequently, the U.S. share of total imports fell to approximately 47 percent.  

Soybean shipments from Brazil, the second-largest supplier to the European market, dropped 2 percent to approximately 2.7 million tons, accounting for just over 32 percent of total imports. 

During the same period, soybean imports from Ukraine into the EU declined roughly 19 percent, falling to 905,900 tons.  

In contrast, deliveries from Canada increased notably, reaching 831,000 tons.  

This translates to a rise of roughly 58 percent compared to the reference period of 2024-’25.  

Argentina did not deliver any significant tonnages the previous year but, according to analysis by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH (AMI), supplied around 50,100 tons to the EU market this year. 

According to UFOP, the decline in soybean imports primarily reflects the drop in pigs slaughtered in the EU from 250 million to 220 million between 2021 and 2023, which was followed by a moderate recovery to 227 million in 2025.