British biofuels will help slash emissions


Meurig Raymond Deputy president, National Farmers' Union Sir; The NFU is relieved the Chancellor has listened to the voices from across the whole spectrum of industry, transport and farming urging him not to add fuel duty to the fire of inflationary cost increases. We still believe the increase should not merely be postponed, but scrapped altogether. In the meantime, we welcome confirmation that, in response to a long NFU campaign, any increase when it comes will be applied pro rata to red diesel. However, we are concerned at what appears to be a strong undercurrent of hostility and lack of understanding regarding British-produced biofuels. The loss of the biofuel duty differential of 20ppl in 2010 creates investor uncertainty, and the lack of clarity on how long the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will be in place after 2010 is further stifling investor confidence in financing multi-million pound UK biofuel plants. There are other worrying indications that ministers and officials are paying too much attention to the myths that surround biofuels and not enough to the facts. There is no mention of the potential for UK sustainably grown wheat and sugar beet to be used for biofuel feedstock, and the CO2 saving quoted is the 15%-25% international figure, rather than the 50%-60% that is the saving achieved by UK grown wheat. British-produced biofuels are sustainable and can make a very real contribution to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, in transport especially. They should be encouraged by government, not undermined.