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RFA says UK trade agreement expands market access 

The Renewable Fuels Association says a trade agreement in principle with the UK could provide a major boost to the industry.

CEO Geoff Cooper tells Brownfield specific details haven’t been released, but it has the potential to double US ethanol exports. “That’s a huge deal for the industry. That’s a significant bump in demand not just for ethanol but for our corn grower friends.  If you think about 250 or 300 million (more) gallons of ethanol, that’s 100 million bushels of corn.”

According to the Trump administration, the agreement includes $700 million in ethanol exports.

Chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Board Jan TenBensel, a farmer from McCook, says it’s good news, but there’s still work to do. “That’s not a tremendous amount, but every drop in the barrel counts. This is not just the UK that we’re dealing with as far as exports. Ireland is at 10%, France is an E10. (Ethanol is in)  Norway, Austria (and) Poland. There’s a lot of ethanol being used in Europe and that’s helping to move the needle.”

In 2024, the UK was the second-highest destination for U.S. ethanol exports, after Canada, with a total of 243.8 million gallons.

Geoff Cooper: