IFPRI report criticised for inaccuracies

The German biofuels association UFOP has dismissed claims in a new report carried out by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) into the predicted emissions to be created by indirect land use change policy.

The UFOP says it opposes the adoption of ILUC factors specific for biofuels outlined in the report and says more investment protection needs to be given for existing biodiesel production plants around Europe.

The report, which was published in November 2011 after the European Commission asked for more research to be conducted into ILUC, says proposed European biofuels mandates are ‘likely to cause significant indirect land use change emissions’.

The study estimates that for the land policy, on average 38g of CO₂e per MJ of emissions will be released through biofuels production and for biodiesel derived from rapeseed this is even higher at 55g of CO₂e/MJ. It counts rapeseed, along with soy, sunflower and palm oil, as creating more emissions than those created during fossil diesel production and use.

However, the UFOP argues that ‘blooming rapeseed fields are not only the prettiest but also the most sustainable oil fields’.

Read more in the December edition of Biofuels International.