Belguim will not allow the production or use of biofuels or biogasses containing palm or soybean oil beginning next year.
The USDA’s Foreign Ag Service reports the ban aligns with the EU Renewable Energy Directive, set to begin in 2022, which sets an EU-wide binding renewable energy target of at least 32 percent by 2030 with a 14 percent target for the transport sector. The Belgian Ministry for the Environment notes some studies show the two oils are the most environmentally damaging raw materials in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, indirect land use change and deforestation.
