The Labour Party has called on the Government to scrap its current biofuels targets over concerns about their impact on world food prices and the environment.
The party's spokeswoman on energy Liz McManus said earlier today that the Government should move towards a more modest target where biofuels provide 4 per cent of all transport fuels by 2015.
This would replace the current Government targets of 5.75 per cent by 2010 and 10 per cent by 2020. The position paper was unveiled at a forum organised by the party on biofuels in Dublin today.
Ms McManus claimed that the Government and Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan have no coherent policy in relation to biofuels.
"The Irish Government can not tell us what percentage of biofuels that is imported. It can not tell us where biofuels are produced. We do not know the extent to which Ireland is contributing to increases in world food prices," she said.
Speaking at the forum, party leader Eamon Gilmore said the Government was obliged to take a firm stance on the issue.
He pointed out that in Ireland price increases had been felt in the rising cost of the weekly grocery shop.
"In developing countries, the cost of bread and weekly staples is being pushed beyond the reach of the poorest, putting them at risk of starvation,” he said.
"It would not only go against all common sense to proceed with a policy that is actually going to speed up global warming, but it would also be immoral to put fuel for transport ahead of food for the world's poorest," he added
Labour said it was holding the forum to reflect growing concerns about the impact of biofuels and doubts about their efficacy as an alternative to fossil fuels.
The party's position paper cited statistics from the World Bank which found that biofuels caused 75 per cent of the rise in food prices. Ms McManus said the findings of those reports could no longer be ignored by the Government.
It also referred to a number of studies, including the Gallagher Report in Britain, which also questioned the sustainability of some forms of biofuels, which may lead to undesired increases in emissions.
The paper also calls for Ireland to lead the drive towards a complete review of EU targets on biofuels and guarantees that biofuels are fully traceable. This would ensure that biofuels used in Ireland and throughout the European Union are certified as sustainable
