Latest figures from the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), which is charged by the Government to regulate the British biofuels industry, found around 80 per cent of feedstock used to produce biofuel for British vehicles had been produced abroad.
It added more than three quarters of biofuels used on UK forecourts met no environmental standards whatsoever.
However, it said biofuels produced in the UK are environmentally friendly.
Domestically produced biofuels make up around 20 per cent of the total market, three quarters are said to be ‘environmentally sustainable’ and they deliver greenhouse gas savings of at least 44 percent against fossil fuels.
Henry Robinson, vice-president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), said British biofuels produced from crops such as wheat, sugar beet and oil seed rape, were ‘best’ and urged the Government to pull the plug on support to damaging imports under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
“If big oil companies can’t prove the source is not from a recently decimated rainforest, motorists in the UK should not be expected to subsidise the imports,” he said.
“We have worked closely with the Government and RFA to ensure a competitive market by trying to guarantee imported biofuels are meeting the high standards that are commonplace in the UK. There is currently a voluntary reporting system but this is clearly not working,” he added.
Despite a target of 3.5 per cent, just 1.6 per cent of road transport fuel currently used in the UK is made from a renewable source.
Most of these are produced from Argentinean soy and Brazilian sugarcane while concerns remain over palm grown in Malaysia and Indonesia which environmentalists argue comes at the expense of rainforests.
The RFA said suppliers were finding it too hard to find certifiably sustainable fuels, but predicated the situation would improve over time.
“Certified sustainable feedstock is expected to become increasingly available over time, as feedstock standards develop in response to the demand created by the RTFO and growing concern about the sustainability of agricultural commodities more widely,” said the RFA.
But under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, which comes into force in December this year, biofuels will have to be shown to comply with mandatory sustainability criteria.
The NFU has moved quickly to develop the Red Tractor Scheme to allow UK farmers to prove they have met the mandatory requirements.
“The changes have been designed to have minimal additional burdens on farmers while providing an easy system of recognition of their crops for these new and growing markets,” said a spokesman.
* Biofuels will be one of the key topics of discussion at EBEC – Europe’s largest dedicated bioenergy event – which takes place on 6-7 October at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. Farmers Guardian is proud to be a partner on EBEC. For more information visit
www.ebec.co.uk and keep checking the Farmers Guardian website for bioenergy news and features.
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