Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

How does one answer the criticisms by the UN special rapporteur on European biofuels policy that the massive expansion in bioethanol use presents similar land-use risks and knock-on impacts in Africa and elsewhere? The substitution effect of taking crops from food for transport fuels would be significant if we went with the suggestion Mr. Cogan is talking about. According to the rapporteur, it would promote a form of industrial farming, which is the last thing we should do to address climate change. Lord Deben told the committee we should avoid what they are doing in the UK, which is the type of agriculture that delivers the cereal crops for ethanol. Are there not risks in Mr. Cogan’s proposal that we would end up with other land-use impacts that would be deleterious for the environment?