Farmers in ideal position to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels

AS a farmer and a member of the IFA, I agree with Laurie O’Flynn (‘Grass next in line if oil runs out’, Examiner Farming, March 13).

The report was based on research carried out by Dr Jerry Murphy of UCC identifying the best performing biofuel options available in the context of optimising energy output per acre of land.

Having recently attended a UCC lecture given by Dr Murphy entitled Biofuels — Good or Bad?, I think he and his team deserve to be congratulated for the innovative work and research they are doing at the Energy Research Institute in UCC.

With crude oil prices racing up, few of us can now afford to be ambiguous or complacent about what the future holds from an energy perspective. Most European countries are at least a decade ahead of Ireland in energy self-sufficiency, having successfully developed biofuel alternatives to fossil fuel dependence.

If fully informed with the facts, the overwhelming majority of Irish people would be horrified to discover that 90% of our energy requirements are being imported in the form of expensive fossil fuels.

This situation not only exposes Ireland to raging energy inflation, but also creates an unacceptable supply risk in the event of a global energy crisis.

Farmers are in a unique position to avail of new opportunities in the biofuel area. For cattle and beef farmers in particular, the decision to diversify could soon become inevitable. If the worst aspects of the WTO materialise, farmers may be expected to accept much lower beef prices which would have the potential to put large numbers of producers out of business. Biofuel production may well become a lifeline for this sector in the future.

With an exceptionally high landbank per capita, Ireland is in an ideal position to develop a substantial biofuel industry without in any way effecting our domestic food supply situation.

This makes food versus biofuel a non-issue in an Irish context.

Diarmuid Cohalan

Gurranreigh

Lissarda

Co Cork