Members of the European Parliament have voted to limit the amount of biofuels that can be derived from food-based crops to 6%, but campaigners say the limit is too high and will lead to more rises in food prices.
Wednesday’s vote by the European parliament on proposed limits for biofuels has the power to determine future prices of food stuffs like vegetable oil, according to a report by the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Prof Dr. Karl-Heinz Maurer has been appointed as AB Enzyme’s director of business development, focusing on the company’s 2nd generation biofuels from biomass initiatives.
The OECD and FAO have today released their Agricultural Outlook for
2008 to 2017: Food prices will come down as temporary factors are
resolved, but longer-term factors will cause them to settle above
past averages.
A new joint venture by DuPont and Danisco aims to develop what
could be the first large-scale non-food ethanol production, which
could lighten the pressure of biofuels on the food industry.
Rising food prices are exacerbating the food versus fuel debate in
Canada's breadbasket region, where critics say ethanol is diverting
valuable commodities away from food markets and proponents say
market economics will prevail.
Proposed directives for promoting the use of biofuels fail to
tackle concerns within the food industry on the possible impact on
food and feed supply, according to the CIAA.
Nestle SA chief executive Peter Braback condemns proposals for
increasing biofuel production as morally unacceptable, warning they
will have devastating effects on food supplies.
The use of biomass for fuel should not jeopardise the food supply,
EuropaBio has proclaimed, but more European investment is needed in
second generation technology that does not compete with food
sources.
The head of the Federal Reserve has suggested that import tariffs
on Brazilian ethanol should be dropped in order to take the
pressure off US food prices.
European ministers will today discuss whether propounding use of
biofuels is justified given their impact on food prices, and
whether first generation technologies are causing more
environmental harm than good.
The European Commission has published a new impact assessment on
the ten per cent biofuel obligation, in which it says cereal and
oilseed prices are likely to rise as a result of greater demand for
feedstock.
The burgeoning use of cereals and other commodities to satisfy
appetite for biofuels could keep food prices high for the next
decade, says the FAO, impacting developing countries, the urban
poor, and farmers' livelihoods.
World prices for many agricultural commodities may remain at
historical highs over the next decade, as the increase in demand
for biofuels continues to shape agricultural markets, says a new
OECD/FAO report.
AB Enzymes has developed a new enzyme product in its Rohalase line
to enable higher yield of vegetable oil processing with a reduced
need for chemicals - an innovation the company says will save
energy and costs.
The EU's food and drink industry yesterday called on the bloc's
governments to take action on halting price rises for their
supplies, as more crops are diverted for biofuel production.
The era of biofuels is here but this does not necessarily mean
unending food price shocks or a critical diversion of agricultural
production away from food.
