A slowdown or halt in EU rapeseed production following a potential phase-out of conventional biofuels after 2020 would cause the closure of almost half of EU crushing plants, according to FEDIOL, the federation representing the European Vegetable Oil and Protein meal industry.
It said reduced demand for oilseeds in Europe would result in a total loss of 16 million mt of rapeseed crush as well as 2.7 million mt of soybean crush, directly affecting 10,000 jobs.
This would also lead to the loss of more than 9.6 million mt of rapeseed meal and 2.1 million mt of soybean meal, which would have to be replaced by imports, with significant losses for farmers, crushers and feed manufacturers, it added.
FEDIOL published its findings Wednesday ahead of the European Parliament's examination of the EU Commission's proposal for a Renewable Energy Directive post-2020.
It said the proposal fails to meet the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting the EU's dependency on fossil fuels and providing a market outlet to the agricultural sector, and could bring the share of biofuels such as rapeseed biodiesel down to 3.8% by 2030.
FEDIOL also described the objective for advanced biofuels as "overambitious and highly unrealistic."
As a result, FEDIOL said the European Parliament and Council should maintain the 7% cap for conventional biofuels alongside investing in advanced low-carbon technologies.
