LINSEED : PRODUCTION IN

EUROPE AND POTENTIALITIES

FOR THE FUTURE

3rd Thematic workshop of Crops2industry EU Project

Bordeaux, February 18th, 2011

Françoise LABALETTE (ONIDOL)

1
Production in Europe

2
 Linseed : an original crop
• Linseed or flaxseed crop (winter and spring types) : well
adapted to cultivation under temperate climates (Europe,
northern American continent)
• Grown mainly for the grain production (+ potential by-product =
fibres of the straw) # Flaxseed which is cultivated mainly for
textile fibres ( + by-product = seeds)
• Small size seeds (thousand seed weigh : 5 to 10 g)
• High oil content of the seeds (38-40 % at 9% of humidity)
and interesting %
100
protein content (22 %) 80
60
40

• Very high linolenic or 20

0
rapeseed sunflower linseed soybean palm
omega 3 content (> 54%)
palmitic acid stearic acid
oleic acid linoleic acid
alpha linolenic acid

3
 Usages of linseed crop are linked to the
omegas 3 content
• Traditional outlets in Europe :
– Oil : omega 3 = great siccativity and reactivity of the oil =>
linoleum, paints, inks …for industrial non food markets
– Meal : appreciated by the farmers for cattle feeding in western
Europe (France = first consumer)

• Emerging new markets in Europe based on the whole seeds

valorisation in the feed and food industries :
– Omega 3 = nutritional properties
- Feeding : omega 3 enhancement of the lipid fraction of animal
products (eggs, milk, meat..) thanks to the introduction of extruded
linseed grains in feed formulations in order to increase the linolenic
acid intake of the population
- Food : Lin seeds grain incorporation in bread, cakes .. to be
directly consumed

4
 Linseed production in the world

19%
Linseed
2% Canada

4%
38% China production in
USA
India
the world in
EU
Russia 2009
4%
Argentina
7% Others
source : Oil World and
8%
et bulletins Agriculture
18% Canada 2010
Total = 2,38 Millions tons

• Minor crop : 1% of the oilseed crops total surface

around the world
• Canada : most important Linseed producer (650 000
ha harvested, 1,4 t/ha in 2009) and first ranking
Linseed exporting country
5
 European Union : most important
linseed consumer in the world
Attempts to outlets breakdown in tons of seeds (informal data
and information provided by the operators, Onidol Linseed study, summer 2008)

Crushing 440 to 450 000 tons

(Benelux, Germany)

Feeding (as whole 100 to 120 000 tons

seeds)

Food (direct human 30 000 tons ?

consumption of seeds)
TOTAL EU 540 to 600 000 tons

NB : Lin Oil use in human food is supposed to be still weak

in Europe
6
 The European linseed production cannot
meet so far the local industrial needs
Linseed acreage in the EU27 in 2009
21% 17%

13%

39% 5%
Belgium
France
Germany
5% Sweden Sources : Eurostat,
total surface : 75 000 ha Oil World 2010
England
Others

• UE : small seeds producer (108 000 tons in 2009, i.e. less than
20% of the needs) because of :
- Low surfaces
- Low yield (1.5 t average in 2009)
• England : first European producer
• France : variable and quite low production : 1992/2010
average acreage = 12 483 ha/year, mean yield 2005/2009 = 2.1 t/ha/y
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 European Union depends on world supply
UE Linseeds imports in 2009 (531 000 tons)
• EU : strong dependence on 5%
extra- EU imports for its 16%
Lindseeds industry (500 000 - 0%
79%
550 000 tons a year)
• Most imports coming from
Canada, but recent increasing
Canada USA Russie Ukraine
role of the eastern countries
(Russia, Ukraine..) Source : Oil World 2010

Seeds prices (€/T )

670 Linseed N.W

620 Europe
570
• High volatility of the Linseed 520

prices 470
420
370
• Huge sensitivity to seeds offer 320

variations (great impact of 270

220
Canada supply) 170
Soybean US cif
Rott.
120
01/90
07/90
01/91
07/91
01/92
07/92
01/93
07/93
01/94
07/94
01/95
07/95
01/96
07/96
01/97
07/97
01/98
07/98
01/99
07/99
01/00
07/00
01/01
07/01
01/02
07/02
01/03
07/03
01/04
07/04
01/05
07/05
01/06
07/06
01/07
07/07
01/08
07/08
01/09
07/09
01/10
07/10
Source : Oil World 2010
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Potentialities for the future

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 Linseed : an environmental friendly crop
1) good solution for longer crops rotations
40
rotation sans lin (93 rotations)
35 rotation avec lin (90 rotations)
124 Enquêtes producteurs Lin Oléagineux - 2009 - CETIOM
30
nombre de rotations

25

20

15

10

0
2-3 ans 4 ans 5 ans 6 ans et
durée des rotations plus
Source : 124 farmers survey; CETIOM 2009

• Thanks to linseed crop, short rotation decreases of 20 % in

our study
• Linseed introduction can contribute to diversify, decrease
chemical inputs and to cut weeds, fungi cycles of the
dominating cultivation of the area (cereals, rapeseed..) 10
 Linseed : an environmental friendly crop 2) good
economical impacts on the following wheat crop

(euros/ha)
blé (euros/ha)
1200 €/ha 12
120

according
en fonctiontodu
wheat 1000 10
100
(euros/ha)
blé (euros/ha)

Wheat
8.5 t/ha

rendement
8.2 t/ha
costs of the du

800 8 t/ha 8
80
opérationnelles

the
yielddu blé
précédent
wheat

600 6
60

previous (qx/ha)
of thedu

400 4
40
marginbrute
Operational

crop (t/ha)
charges
marge

200 2
20

917 386 829 433 769 457

0 0
Wheat
blé after
de lin Wheat
blé after
de colza Wheat
blé after wheat
de blé
Linseed
88 rapeseed
11
11 44 xx == nombre
number de
of data
références
95% of the
Intervalle deobserved
confiancesituations
: 95% des situations rencontrées
Technical-economical study – 2009 – CETIOM / Graine de Lin 28

• Linseed as previous crop lead to express productivity gains (+0.3 to 0.5

t/ha) and increased economical results on the following cultivated wheat
(less operational costs due to lower inputs of herbicides, fungicides, and
nitrogen fertilizer)
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 Feed and food markets are able to pusch on
production chain, the French example
• 50 % of the linseed in
France is produced under Outlets of the Linseed French production
contract, IP process
including quality 0.3%

requirements (like 3 100% 5.4%

2.2% 6.2% 3.6%

content) 90%

80%
15.3%

70%

• Major outlet for the linseed 60%

no data
cultivated in France : use 50% 91.8% 94.3%
bird feeding
as whole seed for animal 40% 76.8%
human food
feeding and then naturally 30%

3 enhancement of the 20% crushing

related food products 10% animal feeding

0%
2008 2009 2010 (estimates)

• Outlets may vary according

to the world market
situation (crushing =
opportunity market, food =
high added value but small
volumes)
Source : 25 cooperatives survey , ONIDOL, 2009
• Organic farming : not expanded in Europe
because of the poor yields got in this way
(0,3% of the surveyed outlets in France, ONIDOL
2009) 12
 Conclusion on the current situation of the Linseed production
in Europe - based on the ONIDOL-CETIOM study 2008-2010 (French case)

 Good Points :  Weak Points :

• Original composition of the seed
(3)
• Good agro-environnemental
impacts (breaking crop, moderate
inputs needs, carbon impact..)
• Genetic progresses in varieties
• Know-how and efficient
organisation allowing IP and high
quality production
• New emerging markets driven by
the omegas 3 nutritional and
healthy effects (direct or through
animal product)
• Huge needs of seeds for crushing
industry but low value
• drawback today , advantage for tomorrow : the straw
• Lack of competitiveness of the
European seeds compared to
extra UE imports (gap of 100 €/t
between imports and IP French
production in 2009)
• Quite low and variable yields (1.5
to 2.5 t/ha)
• Logistic and storage difficulties
for cooperatives
• Small produced volumes
• Insufficient R&D and
developments efforts in
agriculture sector
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 FUTURE FOR LINSEED IN EUROPE (1)
SHORT TERM (< 3-5 years) : promising perspectives for doubling the surfaces in Europe ?
• Sharp decrease of the production in Canada in 2010 (- 55%) and
consequences of the GM contamination of imported linseeds from Canada
=> high prices (>570 €/t CIF NW Europe) and pressure on seed supply =>
opportunities for 2011 and 2012 linseed planting in Europe including for
crushing industry
• Environmental constraints : need of adapted breaking crops in order to
improve the sustainability of the cropping systems in Europe (Role of
European and member state regulatory and agriculture policies)
• Expected increase of the use of linseeds in animal feeding for improved
nutritional and healthy value of the food in France (accumulation of
scientific evidences and encouragements of the sanitary authorities) but also
in other European countries => growing demand of IP and high quality
seeds cultivated at local level (in France 50 000 tonnes of Linseeds in 2012-
2013 according to industrial operators)
• Starting direct use of Linseed products for food : oil (in margarines for
example), flour… in parallel to the existing direct uses of the seeds in food
sector

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 FUTURE FOR LINSEED IN EUROPE (2)

MEDIUM TERM (+ 5 years ) : durable Linseed cultivation in Europe (3, 4

European surfaces ?)
• Extension of the integrated 3 enhancement, healthy and
environmental friendly (carbon impact) production chain from feed to
human food in Europe, America..
• Increased Linseed oil for human consumption but needs for improving
the stability of the oil (refining process, mix of oils, fatty acid profile ..)
• Green chemical Directive REACH → possible coming back of
linseed oil in the formulations of paints, some needs of Linseed
composition change ?
• Green chemical and bio-sourcing attitude: innovative derivatives of
linseed oil still under research especially in the polymers and
polyurethane fields
• Valorisation of minor components of the seed like lignanes in the
cosmetic fields.
• Valorisation of the straw as renewable fibres sources for biomaterials
in addition to other green fibres (local projects) => better economics of
the crop
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 But efforts are required
• Genetic progresses have to continue

• More R&D efforts are needed at different levels :

agronomy, environmental evaluation (greenhouse
impacts) at crop and cattle production stages, health
impacts of linseed introduction in the food, green
chemical (new derivatives)..

• Industry has to accept to pay more for quality and IP

local production and agriculture has to be able to meet
the industrial requirements in terms of volumes and
quality.

• Operators from agriculture and industry have to establish

contracts allowing a good share of the risks and of the
value

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 Thanks to my colleagues of CETIOM
pour their contributions to the 2009-2010 Linseed study

and

Thank you for your attention

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