REA urges MEPs to support biofuels industry in key EU vote

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) is calling on MEPs to support the UK and European biofuels industry by voting against a cap on the use of agricultural biofuels, due on 11 September.

The European Commission’s proposals to address indirect land use change (ILUC) would, REA believes, put at severe risk not just climate change and renewable energy targets, but also hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the UK.

‘Our domestic biofuels industry supports 3,500 jobs across 200 companies and achieves average carbon savings almost double the 35% minimum required by the government. This is why we urge MEPs to support the European Parliament Industry, Research and Energy Committee’s position in the ILUC vote,’ says REA CEO Nina Skorupska.

The REA wants to point MEPs to the findings of a recent Biofuels and Food Security report, published by sustainable energy consultancy Ecofys, which concludes: ‘Systemic factors, like reduced reserves, food waste, speculation, transportation issues, storage costs and problems, and hoarding play a much larger role in local food prices [than biofuels]. These factors can be solved and should get much more attention’.

‘That report is the latest to confirm that anti-biofuel campaigners routinely over-estimate the impact of biofuels on food prices. It injects much needed accuracy and objectivity into the debate,’ adds REA head of transport Clare Wenner. ‘The data which campaigners have based their scaremongering on has been called into question. The International Institute for Sustainable Development recently had to admit that it had overestimated the costs of EU biofuels subsidies by around 40%.’

The REA claims it has received support from Humber and North East MPs from across the political divide.