Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the EU decision to phase out the use of palm oil in transport fuels by 2030.

The revised Renewable Energy Directive includes a provision restricting biofuels with a high risk of causing indirect land use change (ILUC) from counting towards EU renewable energy targets. Details of the provision are to be determined by the Commission in a delegated Act by February 2019.

The Government’s position is that all biofuels should deliver genuine greenhouse gas savings compared to fossil fuels. In the UK we ensure that measures to promote a market for biofuels, including rewards provided through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), avoid supporting biofuels with high ILUC impacts. The latest verified data for 2016/17 shows the average greenhouse savings of biofuels supplied under the RTFO is 71% compared to fossil fuels, even when emissions from indirect land use change are taken into account.