The Green Party staged a protest outside Government Buildings , calling on the Government to "lead by example" and convert its Mercedes fleet to run on biofuel.
The party members, some of whom arrived in a car powered by biodiesel, said this week's announcement of excise exemption for 16 million litres of biofuel over two years did not go far enough.
Green Party energy and transport spokesman Éamon Ryan said there was no reason why Government cars could not be converted immediately. "The lack of support for our fledgling biofuel industry is risible. Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey has announced a mere €6 million in excise relief for a two-year period." Mr Ryan said many countries had introduced 100 per cent excise relief for biofuels. Ireland's target under an EU directive is for biofuels to reach 2 per cent of all transport fuels sold by the end of this year and 5.75 per cent by 2010.
"The truth is this Government has failed utterly to realise the potential we have from new green energy industries, and left us exposed to an unfolding world energy crisis and an over-dependence on fossil fuels which is putting the Irish economy at risk.
"Promoting biofuels would bring a triple benefit of reducing our carbon emissions, turning waste products to good use and creating new Irish jobs," he said.
