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ePURE position paper on ILUC

ePURE – the European renewable ethanol association - has published its position paper on the proposal for a directive amending the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and the directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (RED).

The ePURE position paper:

Sustainable and Renewable Ethanol made in Europe for Europe

ePURE’s position on the proposal COM(2012) 595 for a directive amending the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and the directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (RED).

European policy-makers have an opportunity to pursue a positive agenda for growth and jobs in Europe’s low carbon bio‐economy. The refined EU framework for biofuels should: 

1. Set post-2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets 

To build and maintain investor confidence, the EU should set GHG emissions reduction targets beyond 2020 (at least until 2030) and clearly indicate that future growth in the biofuels market should come from the best performing biofuels in terms of GHG performance. Conventional and advanced renewable ethanol will play a crucial role in achieving real GHG emissions reductions in the transport sector in the EU. Therefore, biofuels made from food/feed crops which result in net positive greenhouse gas savings should be allowed to count towards targets in the period after 2020.

Renewable ethanol – made in Europe

Homegrown European ethanol made from cereals and sugar adds approximately as much food into the food chain as it withdraws. It also lowers the price of oil, which is a significant factor in the price of food. Moreover, it has been scientifically demonstrated that EU--‐produced ethanol does not reduce the global land area available for food production. For all of these reasons, any cap on EU--‐produced conventional renewable ethanol cannot be justified by food versus fuel arguments.

Demand for protein is rising faster than crop yields and therefore causes land use change. The EU is one of the world’s largest importers of protein--‐rich soya meal from soya beans. EU ethanol production co-produces high protein, GMO-free animal feed that replaces imports of soya meal. EU cereals produce a similar amount of protein per hectare as soya beans as well as producing significant fermentable starch and sugars. Consequently, cultivating cereals for ethanol in the EU does not materially increase overall requirements for land for protein production in the world.

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