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Written Question
Agriculture: Food Supply
Wednesday 28th September 2022

Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of grade 1 to 3A agricultural land for growing (a) biofuels and (b) animal feed on food resilience; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a high degree of food security which is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years. For the cereals crops that are produced domestically – such as for human consumption and animal feed – the UK is 88% self-sufficient.

The first UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) was published in December 2021. The UKFSR covers food security in the widest sense from global food availability and sustainability to domestic supply chain resilience, household food security and food safety. The report describes trends in land use in the UK to have been generally stable over the past 30 years. Defra will continue to monitor these trends in light of competing pressures on land use.

In 2020, 121 thousand hectares of agricultural land in the UK were used to grow crops for bioenergy. This area represents just under 2.1% of the arable land in the UK. 30% of land used for bioenergy was for biofuel (biodiesel and bioethanol) for the UK road transport market with the remainder mostly used for heat and power. Within the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation there is a cap on the total amount of crop derived biofuels that can be used. In 2022 this currently stands at 3.67% of total fuel under this scheme.

The demand for biofuel crops such as wheat and sugar beet is subject to global market prices and supply. For farmers, the opportunity to sell into biofuels offers a secondary market for their surplus or lower quality crops and associated agricultural residues. Growing crops for the biofuel sector offers farmers more routes to market for their harvest and flexibility in their crop rotations. However, consideration must also be given to land biodiversity and carbon-store value.

For the livestock sector, and meat production, animal feed is a vital input. Cereals and oilseeds make up a significant proportion of animal feed, many of which are grown by our great British arable farmers. Resilience for animal feed is supported by the ability to access global markets to buy and sell cereals, alongside other necessary feed ingredients.


Written Question
Food Supply
Tuesday 5th April 2022

Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to divert crops intended for biofuel production into food production.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In 2019, 96,000 hectares of agricultural land in the UK were used to grow crops for bioenergy. This area represents just over 1.6% of the arable land in the UK. 20% of the land used for bioenergy was for biofuel (biodiesel and bioethanol) for the road transport market, with the remainder mostly used for heat and power production.

Whilst growing crops for the biofuel sector offers farmers more routes to market for their harvest, and flexibility in their crop rotations, consideration must also be given to land biodiversity or carbon-store value.

Our fantastic British farmers are world-leaders and carefully plan their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. It is not government policy to determine which crops farmers should prioritise to include in their crop rotation.


Written Question
British Sugar
Tuesday 7th September 2021

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with British Sugar PLC on the tariff treatment of bioethanol since the start of 2019.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with British Sugar PLC on the tariff treatment of bioethanol since her appointment in July 2019.


Written Question
Biofuels
Thursday 6th December 2018

Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe and representatives of the British bioethanol industry.

Answered by Jesse Norman

It is the Department’s hope to publish a formal response to the consultation paper, “E10 petrol, consumer protection and fuel pump labelling”, in the New Year. The Department has received a number of representations on behalf of the British bioethanol industry since the consultation closed in September. I spoke to the Managing Director of Vivergo Fuels shortly after the company announced cessation of production at their plant in Hull, and am happy to meet with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe and representatives of the British bioethanol industry.

The Government recognises that the domestic bioethanol industry has faced difficult trading conditions in recent months due to increased wheat prices and low bioethanol prices. In increasing targets under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April, the Government made clear that moving to E10 fuel could make achieving the UK’s renewable energy targets easier and provide wider economic benefits. It is the Government’s hope that both of the UK bioethanol plants that announced suspensions in production recently will be able to restart production in the future


Written Question
Biofuels
Thursday 6th December 2018

Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received from the British bioethanol industry on the sustainability of that sector; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jesse Norman

It is the Department’s hope to publish a formal response to the consultation paper, “E10 petrol, consumer protection and fuel pump labelling”, in the New Year. The Department has received a number of representations on behalf of the British bioethanol industry since the consultation closed in September. I spoke to the Managing Director of Vivergo Fuels shortly after the company announced cessation of production at their plant in Hull, and am happy to meet with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe and representatives of the British bioethanol industry.

The Government recognises that the domestic bioethanol industry has faced difficult trading conditions in recent months due to increased wheat prices and low bioethanol prices. In increasing targets under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April, the Government made clear that moving to E10 fuel could make achieving the UK’s renewable energy targets easier and provide wider economic benefits. It is the Government’s hope that both of the UK bioethanol plants that announced suspensions in production recently will be able to restart production in the future


Written Question
Biofuels
Thursday 6th December 2018

Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the halting of production by Vivergo and other British bioethanol manufacturers on the sustainability of the British bioethanol industry.

Answered by Jesse Norman

It is the Department’s hope to publish a formal response to the consultation paper, “E10 petrol, consumer protection and fuel pump labelling”, in the New Year. The Department has received a number of representations on behalf of the British bioethanol industry since the consultation closed in September. I spoke to the Managing Director of Vivergo Fuels shortly after the company announced cessation of production at their plant in Hull, and am happy to meet with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe and representatives of the British bioethanol industry.

The Government recognises that the domestic bioethanol industry has faced difficult trading conditions in recent months due to increased wheat prices and low bioethanol prices. In increasing targets under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April, the Government made clear that moving to E10 fuel could make achieving the UK’s renewable energy targets easier and provide wider economic benefits. It is the Government’s hope that both of the UK bioethanol plants that announced suspensions in production recently will be able to restart production in the future


Written Question
Biofuels
Thursday 6th December 2018

Asked by: Nic Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the publication of the Government’s response to the consultation on E10 petrol, consumer protection and fuel pump labelling.

Answered by Jesse Norman

It is the Department’s hope to publish a formal response to the consultation paper, “E10 petrol, consumer protection and fuel pump labelling”, in the New Year. The Department has received a number of representations on behalf of the British bioethanol industry since the consultation closed in September. I spoke to the Managing Director of Vivergo Fuels shortly after the company announced cessation of production at their plant in Hull, and am happy to meet with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe and representatives of the British bioethanol industry.

The Government recognises that the domestic bioethanol industry has faced difficult trading conditions in recent months due to increased wheat prices and low bioethanol prices. In increasing targets under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in April, the Government made clear that moving to E10 fuel could make achieving the UK’s renewable energy targets easier and provide wider economic benefits. It is the Government’s hope that both of the UK bioethanol plants that announced suspensions in production recently will be able to restart production in the future


Written Question
Biofuels
Thursday 7th July 2016

Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will support the introduction of high-bioethanol blends into petrol to maintain future jobs in the bioethanol industry.

Answered by Andrew Jones

The revised industry fuel standard for petrol (EN228), agreed and published by the British Standards Institution in 2013, allows up to ten per cent bioethanol content (known as ‘E10’). However, E10 is not yet on general sale in the UK and whether to supply it is a commercial decision for suppliers.

We have been working with industry and others on proposals to increase the supply of sustainable biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme in line with our UK carbon budget targets, and plan to consult on proposed changes to the RTFO later this year.


Written Question
Biofuels
Monday 13th June 2016

Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission a study into the potential merits of the use of E10 petrol.

Answered by Andrew Jones

The revised industry fuel standard for petrol (EN228), agreed and published by the British Standards Institution in 2013, allows up to ten per cent bioethanol content (known as ‘E10’). However, E10 is not yet on general sale in the UK and whether to supply it is a commercial decision for suppliers.

The Transport Energy Task Force, made up of experts from industry and environmental NGOs, reported its findings to the Department for Transport in March 2015. The report, which included recommendations relating to E10, is available on the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s website at:

http://www.lowcvp.org.uk/projects/transport-energy-task-force.htm


Written Question
Motor Vehicles: Fuels
Thursday 29th October 2015

Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the viability of the use of E10 fuel in older vehicles and motorcycles.

Answered by Andrew Jones

The content of road transport fuel is governed by a combination of legislation and industry fuel standards, specifically the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Regulations and a European industry standard, in the case of petrol this is EN228. The EN specification incorporates the statutory requirements. The standards, and their maintenance, are industry agreed and informed by industry testing.


Petrol currently sold in the UK may contain up to 5% ethanol (known as ‘E5’). A revised industry fuel standard for petrol (EN228) was agreed and published by the British Standards Institution in 2013. This allows up to 10% bioethanol content (known as ‘E10’). This means that fuel suppliers are free to supply petrol containing anything from 0-10% bioethanol.Most petrol sold in the UK is E5 and therefore contains up to 5% bioethanol. E10 is not yet on sale in the UK.


Any decision to supply E10 is a commercial decision for fuel suppliers and we are not aware of any with immediate plans to introduce E10 into the UK. The Governmentrecognises the concerns of owners of some older vehicles and motorcycles that may not be compatible with E10, and the Department for Transport is in regular contact with fuel suppliers who in turn have been asked to write to us to give at least three months’ notice of plans to introduce this fuel. As yet no suppliers have indicated they have any immediate plans to introduce E10.


The Department is also in regular contact with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) who provide advice and data concerning the compatibility of UK petrol vehicles with E10 - which we are carefully monitoring.


The Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Regulations 1999 were amended in 2010 to comply with EU Directive 2009/30/EC which requires the UK Government to ensure that petrol with a maximum ethanol content of 5% remained available until the end of 2013. This mechanism was extended in 2013 in the UK to ensure that E5 continues to be available until the end of 2016.