report by T&E reveals that approximately 80% of used cooking oil (UCO) feedstock imported by the European Union (EU) in 2022 is suspected to be "mislabelled" virgin palm oil. The study highlights the risk of fraud in the UCO market, where virgin oils are allegedly misrepresented as 'used' to capitalize on the higher value of green fuels. China, the EU's largest UCO supplier, is implicated, with Spain, Italy, and Bulgaria particularly reliant on Chinese UCO imports. The European Commission is already investigating UCO-based biofuel fraud, examining potential tax evasion. Additionally, the report notes a surge in EU imports of palm oil derivatives, such as palm oil mill effluents (POME) and palm fatty acid distillates (PFAD), raising concerns about deforestation. T&E emphasizes the need for transparency and limits on UCO imports to prevent it from becoming a conduit for deforestation-driven palm oil.

SOURCE:GOOGLE