Veggie power call for cars by Rochdale Euro-MP

Date published: 31/10/2005

The government should 'chip in' to help the humble spud play a part in reducing global warming, claims a Rochdale Euro-MP.

Liberal Democrat MEP, Chris Davies, is calling on the Government to listen to the European Parliament and reduce taxation to increase the use of biofuels used in road transport.

Biofuels are a green alternative to petrol and diesel and are made from sugar beet, wheat, potatoes, rapeseed oil and other agricultural crops.

The low greenhouse gas emissions from these fuels make a significant contribution to reducing global warming.

The European Parliament recommended that biofuels should make up 2% of road transport fuels by the end of 2005, but despite support from farmers Britain will struggle to meet even a quarter of this.

The goal for 2010 is almost 6% and EU Energy minister Andris Piebalgs has announced that current high oil prices mean an even more ambitious biofuels policy will be announced next year.

Rochdale MEP Chris Davies supports increased use of biofuels but says that British tax breaks do not go far enough.   The Liberal Democrat environment spokesman in the European Parliament claims fiscal changes are seen as essential because biofuel production costs are currently twice those of conventional fuels.

He said: "If the government wants to encourage genuine alternatives to fossil fuels it should make it as cheap and easy as possible."

"Currently biofuels are more expensive to produce than fossil fuels and a reduction in duty of a further 6 to 10 pence per litre is needed to allow environmentally friendly fuel to compete at the pumps. The onus is now on the government to remove taxation as the main stumbling block to a flourishing biofuel industry in the UK."

Biofuels in many EU countries are tax-free and as a result German drivers fill up their cars with 1.5m tonnes of this green alternative to fossil fuels each year.

Drivers of diesel cars can already go to the supermarket to stock up on cheap fuel if they wish.

It is safe and legal to replace the diesel from garage pumps with vegetable oil from the local shop, so long as customers pay excise duty of 26 pence per litre.  This is still cheaper than buying diesel from the pump.

For more details on how to use vegetable oils in diesel powered cars visit: www.vegoilmotoring.com