No hidden dangers in new biofuel RED rules say SQC
Despite what appears to be a substantial addition to the Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) assurance scheme standards notified to members this week, the changes represent no major new hurdles for growers, it has been claimed.
An addendum to the existing regulations e-mailed to producers this week will allow crops from scheme members to continue to be used for biofuel production when new standards are introduced on July 1, stated SQC executive director Alistair Ewan,
Ewan said that the updated Renewable Energy Directive, known as RED II, due to come into effect on that date required additional paperwork to prove sustainability and biodiversity credentials of crops grown for biofuels.
While the RED scheme is run by the EU, he said it was recognised as the international standard – and that they affected growers around the globe and were designed to stop harmful practices such as the felling of rainforest to plant palmoil trees for the production of biofuels.
From SQC’S point of view he said: “Basically this meant that we had to undertake a considerable
amount of work to ensure that the SQC standards will continue to allow members crops to meet the standards required to allow processors to claim the rebate which is given for crops which qualify as being grown sustainably without impacting on virgin biodiverse land”
And he said that the requirement for growers to include a ‘mass balance’ – an audit showing where the total volume of grain and oilseed sold off the farm was actually grown – had always been part of SQC standards and that any need to produce the new estimate in advance would be discussed by scheme assessors before inspections.
Indicating that the strained nature of the UK’S relationship with the EU meant it was likely that the SQC scheme in Scotland and the Red Tractor scheme in England would be particularly well scrutinised, he said the additions to the scheme rules had to be carefully worded to comply with the 139 pages of the RED II regulations.
And Ewan added that while some had questioned the need to cover the regulations, a considerable proportion of the Scottish oilseed rape crop was used to produce biodiesel and the change to E10 petrol meant that there was likely to be an increase in the amount of wheat used for bioethanol production in future.
*Meanwhile, at the other end of the fuel supply chain, NFU Scotland has advised farmers to check that all their petrol vehicles will be able to cope when the E10 regulations – which will see the biofuel level increased to 10 per cent - are introduced.
The union said that while most road-going petrol vehicles and machinery manufactured since 2011 could use E10 fuel, farmers should check on the situation for off-road and older equipment.
“There are concerns over the effect of the change in specifications and the new fuel’s compatibility with many of the older machines and equipment such as quad bikes and chainsaws that are in everyday use on many farms and crofts,” said Legal and Technical Committee chair, Tom French.