| Re: End of Set Aside by Farmers?
Hi my fathers a farmer and yes the set aside rule is due to end very soon. I agree it is a shame. Its a catch-22 however, the EU has set ambitious targets for biofuels, the only way we've a hope of meeting them are by increasing land for rapeseed etc / or importing in. Obviously importing in = habitat destruction (usually in tropics...massive plantations in Indonesia etc...very good new Greenpeace report out called 'cooking the climate' released recently spells out catastrophies occuring at present). We can on otherhand grow more ourselves, obviously affecting countryside stewardship schemes / conservation efforts. This at the same time as raising food crop prices / diminishing quantities (probably affecting aid given as grain to developing nations) as more land is put into biofuel...
It has been said that at present there is no sustainable biofuel being imported to the UK. If this is the case with lower levels of take up, I dread to think what could occur when demand increases further. Its a very very tough one to figure out what is best, weighing up pros/cons etc.  |