Brussels, 2 May 2023 - FEDIOL, the EU vegetable oil and protein meal industry  acknowledges the accord in principle reached on EU exceptional safeguard measures to counter the unilateral decisions by the five frontline countries to ban  Ukrainian agriculture imports. 

FEDIOL is a strong defender of a well-functioning Internal Market and of open and  fair trade and understands that the EU actions aimed at restoring the Single Market  and the EU authority on trade policy, need to address farmers’ situation in frontline  countries, but also improve the functioning of solidarity lanes for Ukraine.  

FEDIOL regrets that the EU has to resort to such trade restriction targeting certain  EU Member States. It is giving a negative signal to war-torn Ukraine and its  farmers, for which continuing to export has become critical.  

As defined and now focussed on four agricultural commodities, we note that  rapeseed and sunflower seed, which are relevant for the crushing and refining sector, are the raw materials within the scope of the EU exceptional safeguards. At this point, the products resulting from crushing, such as sunflower oil, rapeseed  oil, sunflower meal and rape meal are not within the scope of the safeguards. The  vegetable oils industry in Ukraine and in the EU will hence not be operating on a  level playing field, which is likely to be detrimental for the EU oilseeds processing  industry, notably in the frontline countries. In addition, the detrimental effects to the oilseed processing industry will likely spill over to the local seed markets affecting negatively local farmers’ revenue.  

FEDIOL represents the interests of the European vegetable oil and protein meal industry. With over  180 facilities in Europe, the sector provides over 20.000 direct employments. Our members process  approximately 55 million tonnes of basic products a year for the food and non-food markets. Oilseed  crushing produces vegetable oils and protein meals as co-products. While vegetable oils are used for  food and technical uses (pharmaceuticals, paints, detergents, biodiesel, etc.), protein meals are used  to meet the increasing global demand for meat and protein. For further information, please contact  Nathalie Lecocq, FEDIOL Director General, fediol@fediol.eu