Biofuels - your chance to make a difference

Why this matters

The biofuel market is a valuable outlet for UK arable production, often putting a floor in volatile commodity markets, providing stability and security to those supplying it. When running at full capacity domestic production has the potential to use 2.2m tonnes of wheat and 40% of UK rapeseed finds a home in EU biofuel production.

However we are concerned that this market is in jeopardy – the Department for Transport is currently drafting a consultation due to be published next year which will set out how the UK will implement recently agreed EU legislation, including the introduction of a controversial crop cap which will limit the use ofcrop based biofueldomestically.

Europe suggested a cap at 7%. However, the department is currently minded to set it at 1.5%. We need NFU members to help to explain to Westminster why this decision would be a mistake for UK agriculture.

The biofuels market is not just important to arable farmers -high protein animal feed is also produced as a co-product of biofuel production. Defra statistics show that animal feed costs make up the single largest item of expenditure on farm, and given the UK currently imports up to 70% of its protein, often at a premium, we think it makes sense to strengthen domestic production of this valuable and often volatile commodity.