Argentina biodiesel exports to EU nearly quadruple after Parliament rejects soy reclassification

Summary

Argentina's soybean biodiesel exports to the EU nearly quadrupled in about three months, rising from 50,000 tonnes in the first half of 2026 to around 220,000-230,000 tonnes across reports, after the European Parliament on July 8 rejected a European Commission proposal to amend Regulation 2019/807 that would have classified soy as a high ILUC (indirect land use change) risk feedstock. EU-bound shipments had frozen from March as importers avoided regulatory risk; a coordinated effort by industry body Ciara-CEC, Argentina's foreign ministry and its EU embassy secured the Parliament's rejection, which importers took as clearance to resume buying. Ciara-CEC president Gustavo Idigoras projects full-year shipments to the EU could exceed 300,000 tonnes; the EU is Argentina's only biodiesel export market. Idigoras also noted that Black Sea-related diesel price rises made Argentine soy biodiesel more competitive in Europe. The regulatory debate is not over: the Commission must redraft the Regulation 2019/807 amendment.