Agriculture: Biofuels

(asked on 25th September 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on (a) wheat and (b) dairy farmers of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what assessment she has made of the level of the UK's reliance on imported bioethanol.


Answered by
George Eustice Portrait
George Eustice
This question was answered on 2nd October 2019

We have been meeting regularly with the food and farming sectors across the UK to understand and anticipate the potential impacts of a no deal scenario on our agri-food industry. The UK is a net importer of dairy but there are specific products of which we are net exporters. These may face tariff and non-tariff barriers to future EU export, and this will have a larger impact on Northern Ireland where they are heavily reliant on the Irish market. For wheat, for the last few years the UK has been a net importer, but it’s likely that this harvest will see us becoming a net exporter. MFN tariffs on wheat into the EU are extremely high, however, there is an underutilised tariff rate quota.

We currently import around 2/3rds of our bioethanol, mainly from the EU. The UK alcohol industry, particularly gin and vodka, is reliant on EU bioethanol. Bioethanol is also a vital processing aid in the production of food flavourings and colourings, household and industrial cleaners, toiletries, cosmetics and medicinal agents. Ethanol is a globally traded commodity and we do not anticipate any shortages as a result of our exit from the EU.

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