Brussels to launch bio-fuels initiative
Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, speaking at Green Week in Berlin yesterday, said increasing the production of bio-fuels is a major priority for her.
“The resent dramatic increases in the oil price and the resent controversy over gas supplies from Russia underlines the important of increasing Europe’s energy self sufficiency,” she said.
Ms Fischer Boel said thanks to CAP reform, the EU already offers a €45 per hectare energy crop subsidy.
“Our sugar reform aims to encourage the production of bio-ethanol.
“Clearly, bio-fuels can offer excellent new opportunities for our farmers.
“But we need to give this technology a helping hand, for example through tax breaks and start up schemes,” she said.
Ms Fischer Boel said she hopes the EU member states will support her initiative on this issue, which is due out next month.
She described the agreement by EU agriculture ministers on much-needed reforms to the sugar sector as the highlight of 2005 for her.
“I am convinced that the deal, which stuck closely to my original proposals, will give sugar production in Europe a long-term and viable future,” she said.
Munster Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney, accompanied by Senator Paul Bradford, have meanwhile discussed the future of beet growing and sugar processing at a meeting with Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan.
Mr Coveney said he outlined a number of options designed to support arable agriculture and ensure the continuation of both beet growing and the retention of the factory at Mallow.
“One option which I suggested is to transform what is currently a sugar processing plant into an ethanol and energy crop plant, which will take a lot of thought and planning, but is something that the European Union would certainly support,” he said.
