FDF Response
November 2007
FDF has registered its
legitimate concerns with the Department for
Transport
(DfT) about the proposed
inclusion in the EU Fuel Quality Directive of a
mandatory
greenhouse gas (GHG)
reduction target of 10% in fuel lifecycle
emissions per unit
of fuel energy
between 2010 and 2020. DfT estimates that in
order to meet this
target biofuels
uptake would have to grow to about 20-26%
(by
volume) of transport
fuel across the
EU by 2020. This could be as much
as
double the EU's 10%
mandatory target by
energy content (which is
equivalent to
only 13% by volume), agreed at
the Spring
Council, which is
already
the
cause
of much angst and concern within
the food
industry.
Clearly
this
new
target
would have even more serious and
potentially
adverse
implications than
the
previous one about which we are concerned.
Fortunately,
the UK
Government
agrees
and we hope to secure their support to
have
this
latest
target
removed.
As you may be aware the European Spring Council agreed upon a 10% binding
minimum target for biofuels by 2020 “subject to production being sustainable,
second-generation biofuels becoming commercially available and the Fuel Quality
Directive
being amended accordingly to allow for adequate levels of blending”. To
achieve
the last caveat, the European Commission (EC) has drafted this proposal
to
amend
the EU Fuel Quality Directive.
More Infomation
Last reviewed: 05 Aug 2008