UK Maintains Biodiesel Duties on Indonesian Imports, Excludes SAF

The UK government has confirmed that it will maintain anti-dumping duties on biodiesel imports from Indonesia following a review conducted by the UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA). The decision, announced on July 2, aims to continue protecting the domestic biodiesel industry from unfairly priced imports. The duties, ranging from 8% to 18%, will remain in force for another five years.

The review, which began in December 2024, assessed whether the existing trade measures were still necessary and whether the product scope should be updated to reflect changes in the renewable fuels market. One of the most significant outcomes is the exclusion of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from the definition of products covered by the duties.

According to the TRA, SAF differs substantially from conventional biodiesel in terms of production processes, feedstocks, customer base, and end-use applications. The authority concluded that the two fuels have limited interchangeability and should therefore be treated separately under UK trade policy.

The revised definition continues to cover biodiesel products such as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and paraffinic diesel produced from non-fossil sources, whether imported in pure form or as part of a blend, while explicitly excluding SAF.

The decision reflects the UK’s evolving approach to renewable fuels, balancing support for domestic biodiesel producers with the need to encourage the development of the sustainable aviation fuel sector, which is expected to play a key role in achieving long-term aviation decarbonization goals.