European farmers urge European Commission to push Ukraine to scrap 10% duty on rapeseed and soybean exports

Spanish agricultural organization ASAJA, together with the European farmers’ association Copa-Cogeca, has filed a complaint with the European Commission over Ukraine’s 10% export duty on oilseed crops — sunflower, rapeseed and soybeans.

According to the organizations, the measure creates unfair competition on the EU market. They argue that Ukraine is trying to keep raw materials within the country so that its domestic processing industry can purchase them at lower prices.

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

According to ASAJA, this has led to a sharp increase in imports of Ukrainian vegetable oil into the EU — from 2 million tons to more than 3 million tons, accounting for around 41% of all vegetable oil supplies to the bloc.

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

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

“Due to Ukraine’s unwillingness to stop this practice, ASAJA has formally called on the European Commission to immediately secure the removal of the 10% duty. If this does not happen, the EU should introduce corresponding tariffs on imports of Ukrainian vegetable oil to restore balance in the market,” the statement reads.