Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. The European Commission recently circulated proposals for revising the Renewable Energy Directive. The proposals recommend ending the EU production of all crops-based biofuels. If enacted the proposals will have a disastrous impact on farming and on rural jobs across Europe and in Ireland and they will destroy efforts to revive the Irish sugar industry. The secretary general of Europe's main farming organisation, the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations, COPA, has pointed out that the Commission's proposal ignores the facts about biofuels produced from sustainable EU-produced sugar beet, feed corn or rapeseed. It can provide environmentally-friendly transport fuel, help decarbonise road transport, enhance EU food security, create balance in EU agricultural markets and provide protein for rich animal feed to livestock producers. It is an extra source of income for farm families and a key source of growth and jobs in the EU rural areas.

The president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, Mr. Patrick Kent, recently warned that the European Commission proposals would put tens of thousands of jobs across Europe at risk. He described the proposals as really bad news for EU farmers, for the environment and for those who believe that fact and scientific reason should underpin EU decision making. He concluded that only fossil fuel oil companies and palm olive importers would be delighted with the Commission.

The Commission proposals are completely illogical and are based on myth about commodity price movements that have been shown to be false. They ignore the best available science and down play the role that EU producers of sustainable ethanol can play in providing Europe with a cleaner energy mix for road transport, with lower green gas emissions and better engine performances. They ignore the reality that the feed corn and sugar beet used in EU ethanol production is not produced by direct human consumption. It is scandalous that all this is ignored. There are tens of thousands of jobs at stake.

In addition, the European Commission proposals are dramatically out of line with the thinking of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.In 2015 the organisation's general secretary said that to deal with a world population of 9 billion by 2050, we needed to move from a food versus fuel to a food and fuel debate. During the years Members of all the major political parties have promised support for the revival of the Irish sugar industry through the creation of a biorefinery capable of producing sugar ethanol and animal feed. Such a project will require an investment of over €300 million. The Commission has seriously undermined investors' confidence in biofuels and its latest proposals will sound the death knell for their confidence. The president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA, said it beggared belief the proposals could be supported at European Council or parliamentary level. Through the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations, COPA, European farmers have rejected them. Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly recently described them as far too drastic and he is right. The question is whether the Government is opposed to the Commission's proposals. I would like a simple yes or no answer.