20.06.08 Biofuels contribute “significantly” to food crisis
Britain will have to substantially reconsider its biofuels targets after a government study has found that biofuels have contributed significantly to the global food crisis.
The Gallagher report, which will be published on June 26, does not rule out possible benefits of biofuel production altogether.
However, it calls for a greater emphasis on so-called second-generation fuels which can be grown without displacing food crops.
Norfolk Green party councillor and co-director of campaign group Biofuelwatch Andrew Boswell said the report was crucial to help solve the food problem.
“We’re talking about 100 million people being pushed towards starvation, and biofuels are now being acknowledged by the British government as one of the main factors in that.
“So the government is really standing up to the biofuels industry there, which I think is good.
“It’s unlikely now that the EU will go for the 10% biofuel target because this report is going to be very significant in the European debate,” he added.
But biofuel-producing farmer Mike Seare from Dorset claims the report was biased.
“It’s just a cop-out for the government, isn’t it?” he said. “They can’t keep up their biofuel targets, so now they blame it on the food crisis.
“We don’t even export to the countries affected, so I don’t see how biofuel production in Britain can be held responsible for it.”