§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current estimated figures in hectares of land under crops used for bio-fuel purposes; what were the figures in(a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992 and (d) 1993; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackThe main crop sources for bio-fuels are oilseed rape and short rotation coppice.
Prior to 1993 and the introduction of the arable area payments scheme oilseed rape grown for non-food uses was not recorded separately. In 1993, 24,087 hectares of oilseed rape, excluding high erucic acid rape grown primarily for use as a slipping agent, was planted on 503W set-aside land for non-food outlets and oil produced will mainly have been used for bio-fuels and in pharmaceuticals. In 1994 this had risen to 78,402 hectares.
There is no scheme information on the amount of short rotation coppice grown for bio-fuels but it is estimated that in 1993 90 hectares had been planted for this purpose, and increased to 230 hectares in 1994. Under the third order under the non-fossil fuel obligation, NFFO 3, it is expected that over the next few years 5,000 to 7,000 hectares of short rotation coppice could be established.
The use of agricultural crops are renewable raw materials for industry and energy is a new development which the Government are keen to foster.