Is rapeseed biodiesel worse for the environment than diesel?

As one might expect, Europe's biodiesel industry rejected the findings of a draft study showing that the cultivation of rapeseed for biodiesel is likely significantly worse for the environment than manufacturing conventional diesel, i.e., from petroleum.

On Friday, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) stated that the European Union's study's was "highly debatable and unscientific." At a news conference in Belgium, EBB secretary general Raffaello Garofalo stated:

Can an industry like the biodiesel industry – the number one renewable fuel industry in Europe – be at risk of closing its production plants because of something that is not validated?

On that same day, a coalition of 150-plus international scientists warned that biofuels have a significant indirect impact and urged EU policymakers to take immediate action:

All the studies of land use change indicate that the emissions related to biofuels expansion are significant and can be quite large.

Indirect land use change (ILUC) – a theory that relates to the unintended consequence of releasing more carbon emissions because of different ways to use the land around the world because of an increased global demand for biofuels – is a relatively controversial concept and, as such, has been questioned by several authoritative figures.