Australian oilseeds, oil, meal and other value-added products are in high demand domestically and internationally.
This demand is supported by an efficient chain of production, processing, distribution and marketing, which means the industry produces around three million tonnes of oilseeds annually.
Canola and cottonseed are Australia’s major oilseed crops, accounting for over 90% of local production. Other oilseeds produced in Australia include soy, sunflower, safflower, peanut and linseed/linola.
Find out more about Australian canola via the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC).
Australian canola
Australian canola is recognised and highly sought after around the world for its consistent high quality.
Canola produces one of the world’s healthiest vegetable oils and is also increasingly important as an environmentally-friendly biofuel.
Multi-billion $ exports
Exports play a significant role in Australian oilseed markets. In 2022-23 the value of Australian canola exports is expected to reach a record high of $6.1 billion (ABARES), reflecting elevated world prices and high volumes of production and exports. Looking ahead to 2027-28 the real value of Australian canola exports is expected to be between $2.1 and $3.2 billion.
Sustainability
Australian canola is grown using sustainable farming systems and can be certified as meeting sustainability criteria for market access to Europe for use in biofuel.
Australian growers trade oilseeds under the ISCC with Sustainable Grain Australia program, which ensures that biofuel inputs are certified as sustainable.
The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a voluntary sustainability certification scheme enabling participants to demonstrate they are producing biomass in a manner which meets community expectations for environmentally, socially and economically sustainable production.
The ISCC scheme provides the downstream supply chain with the assurances they require that their agricultural raw materials were produced in a sustainable way that meets or exceeds community expectations.
In Australia, the ISCC scheme is widely used in the canola, used cooking oil and tallow industries where the oils and fats are intended to be used for biofuels.
Find out more about the requirements for certifying canola for export to Europe for biofuel use at the Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF).
Australian Oilseeds Federation
The Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) represents the common interests of all Australian oilseed industry participants and promotes the development, expansion and improvement of Australian oilseed production.
Oilseeds reference group
The Board of AOF acts as a reference group for Grains Australia on matters related to the Australian oilseeds industry and provides advice and insights.