United Oilseeds has been vocal in highlighting the need to restore UK oilseed rape to sustainable production levels – not only for the benefit of farmers, but for the wider economy, biodiversity, and national food and feed security.
Over the past decade, the decline in cultivation of the crop has contributed to a £1 billion negative swing in UK trade, eroding domestic self-sufficiency and pushing more reliance on imports.
Yet oilseed rape remains one of the UK’s most valuable break crops, supporting on-farm rotation, providing a vital source of homegrown protein for livestock feed, and underpinning food security in edible oils – now just 15–20% domestic supply.
From an environmental perspective, OSR Reboot data suggests that bee numbers are up to five times higher in oilseed rape fields than in legume fallow, reinforcing the crop’s biodiversity benefits and its role in supporting pollinator populations.
‘Perverse outcome’
But United Oilseeds contends that a series of policy failures continue to undermine the competitiveness of UK growers. These include oilseed rape imports produced using methods that are illegal in the UK, including neonicotinoid treated seed.
United Oilseeds managing director James Warner said: “These policies don’t reduce environmental impact, they simply offshore it, creating an increasingly unlevel playing field for UK farmers.
While the UK government encourages farmers to take productive land out of rotation in the name of environmental stewardship, countries like Brazil have quadrupled their oilseed rape production in just five years, says Mr Warner.
“Brazilian rape yields are half those of the UK, meaning that for every one hectare we remove from production here, two hectares must be cultivated elsewhere to produce the same volume – exacerbating the deforestation picture.
“It’s a perverse outcome that undermines climate goals, economic growth, productivity and domestic food security.”
A sensible, joined-up policy is now critical to ensuring the UK maintains a viable and sustainable oilseeds sector, says Mr Warner – one that supports the economy, biodiversity, and the nation’s long-term resilience in food security.
Looking ahead to Harvest 2026
Winter rape has established well this autumn – with losses totalling just 1.5% compared to 4% last year and 10% the year before.
Although rape can be a deceiving crop – especially in the early growth stages, United Oilseeds chief executive James Warner remains cautiously optimistic, while acknowledging that good establishment doesn’t always mean a good harvest.
But he adds: “I am hopeful that with the noticeable lower flea beetle levels and the industry wide collaboration on the 10 strategies for managing the pest, we will see positive establishment turn into increased production next harvest.”
The crop area is forecast to rebound to 283,000ha. This would produce a likely crop of almost 1m tonnes, a huge improvement on last year. But a further 1m tonnes would still need to be imported to satisfy UK demand.
Profits rise with solid financial performance
United Oilseeds achieved a profit of £1.22m for the financial year 2024-25 – against the backdrop of the smallest UK oilseed rape harvest in 40 years.
Despite the challenging conditions and a reduction in annual turnover to £97,601,396, the co-operative strengthened its financial position, with net worth increasing to £17,500,142.
Speaking about the results, managing director James Warner said: “Given the challenging backdrop for oilseed rape and the wider arable markets, during the marketing year in question, this is a very solid performance.”
The team had delivered exceptionally well, demonstrating resilience and focus in what was a difficult trading environment – despite well-documented pressures within the oilseeds sector, said Mr Warner.
“United Oilseeds has strengthened its financial position, achieving an impressive profit of £1.2 million.
“These results highlight our ability to adapt to shifting market conditions while continuing to deliver value for our members.”
Trading volumes were lower due to a smaller national crop for harvest 2024, with United Oilseeds’ commodity tonnages traded down 17.87% to 310,258 tonnes, compared with 377,770 tonnes in the previous year.
Financial return
Despite the drop in volume, the co-operative delivered a strong financial return, achieving its second-best margin per tonne since 2016 – a testament to a strong operational performance in a highly challenging year.
The cooperative continues to expand into a broader range of break crops, generating more revenue from commodities other than rape than ever before.
After the results are audited, United Oilseeds will make a profit re-distribution payment to trading members, which on will add about £1-£2 per tonne to each load of oilseed rape.
‘Modest recovery’ follows smallest rape crop
Provisional figures suggest UK oilseed rape production for 2025 is reached 892,000 tonnes, representing a 7% increase on 2024.
While this marks a modest recovery, it follows what was the smallest UK rape crop since 1983. The rise in output has been driven by a 29% improvement in yields, which helped to offset a 17% reduction in planted area.
United Oilseeds managing director JamesWarner said: “There’s no doubt that it was a good year for oilseed across the UK. Harvest was recorded as the earliest since records began and in the main crops came off well.
“I was particularly pleased with our performance in terms of moving crops this year, with plenty of our members congratulating us on our expedient movements which really helped them to manage farm level logistics.”