Biofuels moratorium not the solution to climate change
Friday May 2 2008
The NFU has again rejected calls from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee which has today repeated its stance on a moratorium on the Government's biofuel targets, despite ministerial recognition there is a role for sustainably-produced biofuels.
In calling for a moratorium, the EAC report has ignored both the EU, the UK Government and the NFU's own views of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation which was brought into force last month, with an initial 2.5 per cent target, as a 'cautious and responsible approach to reducing emissions from transport.'
EU Agricultural Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel recently stated 'biofuels must be part of the future of sustainable energy production. The first reason why, she says, is that biofuels are an important weapon in the fight against climate change. She also called the EU policy on biofuels a 'policy for the real world."
The NFU advocates biofuels' feedstock produced in the UK to sustainable criteria, which is leading the way with the standards already in place through RTFO. Land availability in the UK means farmers and growers can produce enough crops for the fuel targets without effecting traditional production needs such as food and feed.
NFU President Peter Kendall said: "Biofuels represent the only practical renewable alternative for replacing fossil fuels in transport. Of course they must be produced sustainably, both at home and abroad, and of course we should be developing more efficient biofuel technologies.
"But biofuels have never been presented as the only solution to climate change - they are part of a package of solutions needed to address a very serious problem. As the Stern report warned us action needs to be urgently taken to tackle climate change. Doing nothing is not an option."
Notes to editors:
1. The Guardian on Tuesday April 29 reported Peter Mandellson as saying: "The issue is not biofuels or no biofuels, but the right biofuels."
2. Farmers are already working towards protecting the environment with 60 per cent of land currently in agri-environment schemes
3. The current RTFO is the first important step in ensuring sustainable biofuels through reporting requirements on all biofuel supplied in the UK
4. Emissions calculated for biofuels are for the whole production process, from 'well to wheel' and do not miss out production of feedstocks, as the EAC report suggests.
5. The recent Royal Society report supported the use of sustainable biofuels as being an important part of the solution to the growing problem of transport emissions
