Biofuels ‘not pushing up weekly food bill’

Biofuel produced in East Anglia will soon be finding its way into the petrol tanks of motorists around the country.

On April 15, the UK unveiled its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. All fuel companies in the UK will have to replace a certain percentage of their annual fossil fuel sales with biofuels, by law. As from that date, 2.5 per cent of fuel produced in the UK will have to come from renewable sources such as crops.

I welcome these initiatives, which will help the biofuel industry fulfil its potential. The eastern region has led the way in biofuel production and is home to the UK’s first bioethanol plant, which opened last year in Wissington, Norfolk, producing 70 million litres of biofuel a year.

It is vital that the rest of the UK follows suit and embraces biofuels, rather than stalling due to the unfounded, negative reports about biofuels which have appeared in the media recently.

Our energy security will become crucial in the coming years, and it is essential that we rely less on energy sources from abroad. Crucially, the UK biofuel industry must succeed as Britain is obligated to increase the share of biofuels used in transport to 10 per cent by 2020 to meet EU targets.

First generation biofuels produced at Wissington from corn and sugar beet are the first step to producing a successful biofuel industry which will help us all achieve a smaller carbon footprint. It is vital that the UK does not fall behind, which is why I am concerned that Alistair Darling has removed the fuel duty rebate for biofuels from 2010.

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