NFU Vice President Paul Temple will be travelling round the country using plant power after taking delivery of a new car from Ford which runs on biofuel.
Mr Temple will be using the 150th Ford Focus Flexible Fuel Vehicle registered in Britain, which runs on bioethanol produced from UK-grown crops. It can run on any mix of bioethanol and petrol in the same fuel tank.
Mr Temple said: “As the NFU’s Why Farming Matters report highlighted, agriculture can play a key role in the fight against climate change through the production of biofuels which reduce carbon emissions and help provide a clean and secure source of energy.
“What better way to show this in action than through the use of car that is powered by biofuel. Driving a bioethanol powered vehicle is no different to driving a normal petrol car and is much better for the environment.
“We want to see this kind of fuel made available on a widespread basis and it’s good to see companies like Ford taking up the challenge.”
Mr Temple will fill up with biofuel wherever possible as he travels around the country on NFU business.
Andy Taylor, Ford’s European sustainability director, said: “Winning the farmers’ backing in our campaign for further recognition of bioethanol as a renewable transport fuel is an important step. We look forward to working with more farmers and others in the agricultural sector to drive forward bioethanol motoring.”
Notes to editors:
1. A photograph of Paul Temple in his new car is available from the NFU press office.
2. The car was delivered to Mr Temple on December 19 from Ford Britain HQ in Brentwood, Essex. Ford was first into the FFV market last year with the FFV Focus, followed by the FFV C-MAX multi-activity vehicle.
3. There is potentially one million hectares of land available for growing non-food renewable energy crops in Britain.
4. Bioethanol processing plants are under construction in Somerset, handling wheat, and Norfolk, using sugar beet. Bioethanol is currently sold on 13 Morrisons forecourts as E85 fuel, a mixture of 85 per cent bioethanol and 15 per cent petrol. They have installed E85 pumps on all forecourts of newly built stores since March this year. With more positive signs from the Government to encourage E85 they would seriously consider a much more extensive rollout nationally.
No comments have been made.