Food prices would soar in biofuels switch, says Unilever

[4dsc]

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9065-2302045,00.html

This should be a given.. Using food to produce fuel to continue our wasteful ways is sad.. I've given up buying ethanol blended fuels..

BRITAIN faces soaring food prices, a shortage of staple foods and declining public health if the Government pushes ahead with plans to promote the use of biofuels, the UK’s biggest food producer has given warning.

Unilever fears that Europe-wide plans for a huge increase in use of vegetable oils, such as rapeseed and palm oil, in the manufacture of road fuels will have dramatic consequences, driving up the cost of foods such as margarine and leading consumers to switch to less healthy animal fats.

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Huge efforts are being made to promote biodiesel amid concern over the rising cost of oil and reliance on the Middle East for supplies. The European Commission wants to increase the proportion of biofuel used in road transport from current levels of 0.8 per cent to 5.75 per cent by 2010.

However, Alan Jope, Unilever vice-president, fears that the rush to convert food crops into transport fuel will have unintended consequences. He said: “The scale is dramatic. To meet current EU quotas would require between 50 and 80 per cent of rapeseed production. Ultimately, there could be supply shortages.”

[ERF]

1. It is true, the margarine producers hate the increased use

of plant oils for fuel. Of course increasing the cost of margarine so that people start preferring butter is not really a very good reason not to make the switch.

Actually if food prices go up enough then the EU can stop subsidizing its farmers and developing countries might actually benefit considerably.

This seems a lot like a corporate propaganda piece that is clearly focused on protecting their vested interests in a cheap supply of plant oil.

The biggest problems with the plant oils as a global choice of fuel are water, destruction of forest to grow the oils and soil depletion.

Water issues require use of slow drip technology. Soil depletion is solved through crop rotation and modern farming practices. The deforestation issue is tougher and a real concern.

[greenman3610]

2. corn is only a stepping stone in biofuel transition

as the market develops, cellulosic conversion of prairie grasses will
come on line, followed eventually by large scale use of municipal
waste, and algae farms, which will be hundreds or thousands
of times more productive than corn based sources.
Also, fuel efficiency will not be standing still. Remember,
the '07 Prius is rumored to be getting 90+ mpg.


Food prices are going to soar anyway, if we
continue on a petroleum based agricultural system.