British farmers can deliver green transport targets

Research carried out by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) found UK and EU farmers could sustainably deliver up to 80 per cent of the greener road transport fuels needed to meet EU renewable energy targets.

Given the right support, The REA said bioethanol production in the UK could rise by 20 times its current level by 2020, and biodiesel production could rise by three times, creating a lucrative market for farmers and thousands of green jobs throughout the supply chain.

Clare Wenner, head of renewable transport at the REA, said locally sourced biofuels would be sustainable too. “With the right legislative framework, including the implementation of environmental rules under the Directive, it will be possible to limit indirect land use effects.

“Land will always be used for food and fuel, and the overall balance of these impacts could be positive as far as food is concerned. In fact, it seems likely that wheat-based biofuels production will not affect the amount of wheat exported by the EU as a whole,” she said.

Meurig Raymond, NFU deputy president, agreed biofuels were a win-win commodity for British farmers.

“Sourcing assured home-grown crops for green industries, such as biofuels, and using the co-products of production for animal feed will benefit both the environment and UK farmers,” he said.

“British agriculture can and will play a key role in energy security by delivering the sustainable biomass for energy and crops for transport fuels needed to help meet the 2020 targets,” he added.

Under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive the UK must derive 10 per cent of its transport fuel from renewable sources by 2020.

The current percentage of green fuel on British forecourts is 3.25 per cent, and that figure is set to rise to 5 per cent by 2013.

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