Trying to save the planet with biofuels is a waste

JERRY KIERSEY writes saying that the €23 million given by Ireland in foreign aid should have been used to subsidise rape (colza) for biofuel. One of the main reasons for famine in the Third World is the recent tripling in the price of cereals due to them being used for subsidised biofuels.

He says that 50 million litres of rapeseed oil would have powered a thousand trucks for one year. But that’s a subsidy of €23,000 per truck; more than their annual diesel costs! Ireland has 2 million trucks; what about the other 99.95%? And for one year only? Road freight has been growing at about 10%/year before the recession so it wouldn’t make an iota of difference.

Even if every square inch of our 1.2 million hectares of arable land were turned over to producing biofuels, it would not be enough for even half of our freight transport.