Oilseed rape monocultures in Europe are linked to biodiversity
losses, water pollution, nitrate-runoffs - but not generally with
deforestation. Many people who are very aware of the problems with
palm oil and soya biodiesel believe that they are at least doing
something for the climate if they opt for biodiesel from rapeseed
oil.

Unfortunately, using rapeseed oil for biodiesel in Europe, has been
shown to to increase the world market price for all vegetable oils,
and palm oil in particular. This is the finding of a 2006 report by
the Food and Agriculture Organisation:

http://www.fao.org/es/ESC/common/ecg/110542_en_full_paper_English.pdf

"Over the last 3-4 years, oil imports for food - carried out to
compensate for rapeseed going to biodiesel - have increased by a
total of about 2.5 million tons, significantly exceeding historic
growth rates. Sourcing such additional amounts of vegetable oil on
the world market is not a trivial affair and, in fact, has lead, in
the last 2-3 years, to considerable price rises at the global level,
especially with regard to sunflower oil. The EU's additional medium
to long term import requirements are tentatively estimated at 1.0 and
1.5 million tons by 2010 and 2015 respectively.

Possible sources at the international level include the following:
o sunflower oil: however, availabilities of that oil are rather
limited as shown by its recent and still on-going price surge;
o soybean oil: world export availabilities of this oil are more
abundant, but EU consumers tend to reject GM soyoil for food use;
o palm oil: EU palm oil imports have already doubled during the 2000-
2006 period, mostly to substitute for rapeseed oil diverted from food
to fuel uses; the potential for further growth of palm oil imports
for food use seems to be uncertain considering the oil's limited
applications in the food industry."

AND

"It emerges that, since 2003-2004, prices have been quite consistently
above the long-term trend. The timing involved leaves little doubt:
the new demand for vegetable oil for biodiesel production has had a
major influence on the recent strengthening of prices; and the
biofuel driven surge in the price of rapeseed and its oil has lifted
vegetable oil prices in general."

Almuth Ernsting