Committee Urges Revision of UK, EU Biofuel Targets

In Europe, a committee of UK lawmakers has urged Britain to exclude food-based or agriculturally-produced biofuels in its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and to push the European Union to modify its energy goal.

The RTFO is Britain's main policy instrument to meet the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) of the EU which requires that 10 percent of transport fuel should come from renewable sources by 2020.

In a report on global food security, the International Development Committee said that the directive should take account of the negative consequences of agriculturally produced biofuels and cap the amount of food-based biofuels such as corn ethanol which can count towards the target.

The use of food crops for biofuel production is thought to have some negative consequences, which include the indirect land-use change (ILUC) or the displacement of food production into new areas leading to deforestation and draining of peatland. These factors, according to the committee report, are justifications for the government to exclude the agriculturally-produced biofuels from its renewable transport fuel target.