EUbio-fuel line could boost UK crop prospects
EUbio-fuel line could boost UK crop prospects
By Andrew Swallow
EU BIO-fuel proposals could bring a welcome boost to cropping across the country, according to the British Association for Bio-fuels and Oils. But growers must get behind the new mood for a pro-farming fuel policy, it says.
Calls for 2% of the road fuel used by EU member states to be bio-fuel by 2005 (News, Sept 21) could open the door for 350,000ha of dedicated fuel crops in the UK in 2003/4, says association chairman Peter Clery.
Oilseed rape for bio-diesel and fodder beet for bio-ethanol production seem set to be the main growth areas, helping cut pollution and boost farming prospects.
"We must not close our minds to the possibilities of new rotations. Fodder beet uses much the same tackle to grow as sugar beet and is more efficient than wheat for bio-ethanol production."
UK petrol use is 22m t/year, so replacing 2% of that, equivalent to 400,000t of fuel, would require a total of 200,000ha of fodder beet to be grown. With diesel, at least 150,000ha of oilseed rape would be needed to hit the 2% target.
Given parity with LPG duty rates of 4.5p/litre, growers could expect returns to at least match food use crops (Arable, Apr 20).
"Current UK average oil yield is 1.5t/ha, good crops produce 1.6-1.7t/ha and 2t/ha can be produced with best practice. Once we concentrate on yield for bio-diesel it is reasonable to expect yields to rise – it is like growing wheat for feed rather than milling," says Mr Clery.
With only two growing seasons for growers to gear up to such levels of production there is no time to be lost in changing government policy on fuel taxes, he believes.
"Government needs to give farmers time to plan cropping changes. Duty on bio-fuels must be cut to the order of 4.5p/litre – parity with LPG – immediately. Given that, everything is ready and waiting for substantial production to start within a year or so." *
GROWINGBIOFUELS
• OSR for bio-diesel.
• Fodder beet or wheat for bio-ethanol.
• 2% of fuel by 2005 proposed.
• Action needed now.
LORDS LOBBY
Lord Palmer of Reading, president of BABFO, was due to put the case for bio-fuels in the House of Lords on Wednesday. "I beg the Chancellor in his November statement to take this route to safer road fuel supplies and a revitalised agriculture," his statement reads. Farmers can help by lobbying MPs and government, says Mr Clery. "Tell them you want to help make the air cleaner by growing non-food crops. All they need to do to allow you to do that is treat bio-fuels the same as the gas industry."