Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of permitting crop-based biofuels to be eligible under the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate on (a) the environment and (b) food security.

In August 2025 the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed that a call for evidence on the eligibility of crops in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate would be published by the end of this year. This followed a call for evidence on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).

Crops encompass a variety of feedstocks with different impacts. It is right that we gather up-to-date evidence and information on emerging developments, including on the sustainability risks associated with crop-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel and how regulation could mitigate these risks.

The call for evidence does not propose any changes to the SAF Mandate nor does it signal the future direction of the SAF Mandate; it is intended to support assessment of the potential impacts, including on the environment and food security, of crop-based biofuels by the Department for Transport.