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EU deforestation law may be delayed further: IPOC
EU deforestation law may be delayed further: IPOC
Singapore, 14 November (Argus) — The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will likely face a second delay this year, said Anri Hadi, Indonesian ambassador to the EU at the 21st Indonesian palm oil conference (IPOC) on 13 November. A 12 November EU vote on whether to extend a six-month grace period for penalties and measures to be applied on medium to large firms — initiated last month — was inconclusive without a majority vote on the proposal, said Hadi. For medium and large enterprises, the EUDR will take effect on 30 December 2025, but a six-month grace period would apply on its enforcement, and for micro and small operators, the EUDR would apply from 30 December 2026 if this proposal were to be accepted. If member states do not agree to a grace period by 15 December, the EUDR would take effect on 30 December 2025 for large and medium companies and on 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises. Some member states instead voted to delay enforcement of the EUDR altogether by another year, to December 2026 for medium and large firms and June 2027 for small and micro firms. Under this proposal, there would be no grace period for enforcing the regulation after starting in 2026, Hadi said. Palm oil and some byproducts such as glycerol with 95pc or above purity are listed in Annex I of the EUDR, meaning exporters will have to submit traceability data to relevant government authorities under the EUDR to gain access to the EU market. Sustainability and enforcement guidelines still unclear Hadi called for sustainability standards such as the Indonesian sustainable palm oil (ISPO) certification to be recognised under the EUDR and for government-aligned guidance regarding geolocation data sharing requirements. But providing sustainability data to facilitate EUDR compliance is considered illegal under Indonesian law, said Indonesian vice minister of foreign affairs Arif Havas Oegroseno. Citing Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing within the timber industry as an example, he said Indonesia could set up a similar licensing unit to provide relevant data to government authorities in the EU while retaining sustainability data domestically. Under proposed traceability requirements, smallholder farmers would be unable to comply with the regulations, Oegroseno added. Farmers subsequently selling product to larger mills would also impact the supply chain as these mills may export palm oil into Europe. By Malcolm Goh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
API pitches revamp of biofuel exemptions: Update
API pitches revamp of biofuel exemptions: Update
Updates throughout New York, 13 November (Argus) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) is pitching the White House and biofuel groups on a total revamp of how the US exempts oil companies from a program that requires biofuel blending, according to three people familiar with the lobbying group's work. API recently withdrew its support for a bill that would authorize 15pc ethanol gasoline (E15) year-round on its frustrations with changes to biofuel policy this year that oil companies see as too friendly to farmers and to some small refining competitors. The US for instance recently granted small oil refiners generous hardship waivers from a biofuel blend mandate and proposed requiring larger companies to blend more biofuels in future years as an offset. API's pitch — shared at a White House meeting this week — would require that companies seeking program exemptions must show that economic hardship stems directly from the biofuel program, a more stringent requirement than today, according to two of the people familiar with the group's work. Exemptions would also be restricted to companies with limited collective refining capacity, cutting off larger enterprises like Delek and Par Pacific that own multiple small units that qualify now. Smaller companies like Ergon and Kern Oil could still request waivers, but the total pool of potentially exempted gas and diesel volumes would be far lower. The oil group then wants the US to prohibit hiking other oil companies' blend requirements to offset those exemptions, a tougher sell to biofuel and crop groups that fear unchecked program waivers curb demand for their products. Larger merchant refiners that do not qualify for small refinery relief have also long pushed lawmakers for updates to the program and would not benefit from this proposal. API's idea is to pass legislation pairing updates to the small refinery exemption program with year-round authorization of E15, generally prohibited in the summer without emergency waivers because of summertime fuel volatility restrictions that do not apply to typical 10pc ethanol gasoline. That's a top priority for ethanol companies, otherwise at risk from an increasingly efficient and electric light-duty vehicle fleet. Congress last year nearly passed narrower E15 legislation, which API supported at the time but no longer does without more changes. Courts have struck down past attempts by federal officials to authorize E15 without emergency declarations and to drastically restrict biofuel exemption eligibility, likely limiting what President Donald Trump's administration can do without new legislation. API made the pitch to the White House this week, the sources familiar with API's work said. The White House is hosting other groups for meetings on fuel policy, including another one on Thursday on E15 that featured biofuel groups. Officials from across Trump's administration, including the US Department of Agriculture, have attended. "Administration officials hosted listening sessions with biofuel groups, agriculture and oil refiners to discuss their proposals on year-round E15", a source familiar with the matter said. It is not clear that biofuel advocates, insistent that the Trump administration entirely offset the impact of recent refinery exemptions, are open to the attempted compromise. The ethanol group Renewable Fuels Association declined to comment on E15 talks. Regulatory tweaks to boost ethanol supply would also do little on their own to help producers of other biofuels like renewable diesel. API declined to elaborate on what was discussed at any meetings with the Trump administration. "We appreciate the administration's leadership in bringing stakeholders together to advance a practical solution on E15 and small refinery exemption reform", API said. "We look forward to continuing to work together to advance a framework that supports fuel choice, strengthens the refining and agricultural sectors, and helps ensure a stable, reliable supply for American consumers." Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the US requires oil refiners and importers to annually blend different types of biofuels or buy credits from those that do. The administration is late setting new biofuel quotas for 2026 but is expected to do so in the coming months, kicking off a flurry of last-minute lobbying about future volumes, exemptions and potential cuts to credits from foreign fuels and feedstocks. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australian harvest receivals slow with rains
Australian harvest receivals slow with rains
Sydney, 12 November (Argus) — Grain and oilseed deliveries to Australia's major bulk handlers have been slower so far this harvest partly due to wet weather, falling short of deliveries made in prior seasons. Total receivals into Australia's major bulk handlers — GrainCorp, CBH and Bunge (Viterra) — reached 6.2mn t as of around the start of this week, 3.5mn t lower than the 9.7mn t delivered at around the same period in the last winter crop harvest. Bulk handler grain receivals are a rough proxy for harvest pace in absence of official data. Harvest progress is picking up in Western Australia (WA), with weekly receivals into CBH sites rising by 1.2mn t in the week ending 9 November despite 5-25mm of rain falling across most crop regions mid-week, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology data show. Recent dry weather, which is forecast to continue for the remainder of the week, will likely prompt harvest pace to pick up in the state. Deliveries to GrainCorp's sites in New South Wales (NSW) were strong, increasing by almost 1mn t on the week, although rains interrupted some harvest deliveries, according to the company. The harvest in Queensland is winding down, but growers will likely have pushed to harvest as much as possible before heavier rains are expected to fall from 13 November and continue into next week, according to several meteorological models. In contrast, the harvest is yet to meaningfully start in southern crops, in part because these regions remain colder and some crops have yet to finish developing, according to one market participant. Deliveries to South Australia-based bulk handler Bunge (Viterra) and across GrainCorp's Victoria sites are below 107,000t as of around the start of the week compared to almost 3.5mn t received in GrainCorp sites in NSW and Queensland. By Edward Dunlop Australia 2025-26 harvest receivals '000t Total YTD* Previous report* ± CBH Albany 213 95 118 Esperance 947 654 293 Geraldton 582 238 344 Kwinana North 587 276 311 Kwinana South 276 99 177 Total 2,604 1,362 1,242 Graincorp Queensland 1,464 1,274 190 New South Wales 2,034 1,093 941 Victoria 46 22 24 Total 3,543 2,388 1,155 Bunge Western region 33 9 25 Central region 27 8 19 Eastern region 2 0 2 Total 61 17 45 Total - All 6,209 3,767 2,442 Receivals at same time last year ('000t) 9,732 Harvest pace vs last year (± '000t) -3,523 Total YTD is all grain receivals for the approximate October marketing year to the date of the most recent harvest report, 10 Nov for GrainCorp and week ending 9 Nov for Bunge and CBH. Previous report is the total receivals in the respective week prior. — CBH, Graincorp, Bunge, Viterra Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Ukraine exports less grain on the week
Ukraine exports less grain on the week
London, 11 November (Argus) — Ukrainian grain exports decreased on the week on 3-9 November, according to weekly export data from the country's ministry of agriculture. The country exported 290,000t of wheat in the first week of November, down from 399,000t a week earlier. Its cumulative exports this marketing year have so far stayed below levels from a year earlier. Exports have been slowed at least in part by transport disruption in Ukraine as a result of Russian strikes on the country's energy and railway infrastructure. And strong competition from other major exporters also weighed on demand for Ukrainian wheat. Similarly, barley and corn exports have also slowed on the week. Ukraine exported 42,000t of barley on 3-9 November, down from 63,000t a week earlier. Its cumulative exports since the beginning of July have been behind 2023-24 levels, and now have fallen slightly below the level in marketing year 2022-23, despite having shipped more in the first four months of the season ( see graph ). Ukraine's corn exports fell to 290,000t in the first week of November, from 632,000t in the last week of October. Farmers have prioritised harvests of oilseeds because the crops are more vulnerable to wet weather than corn. And intermittent electricity supply has made drying the grain more difficult, further slowing harvesting. By Xiaoyi Deng Cumulative barley exports from Ukraine mn t Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.