The APPG for British Bioethanol has launched an Inquiry into Introducing E10 in the UK. E10 is a blend of fuel containing ten percent bioethanol already sold in many other developed countries including Germany, Belgium, France, Finland and the US.

The British bioethanol industry is a vital part of the agricultural supply chain, supporting thousands of British farmers who would otherwise be reliant on the increasingly uncertain international trading environment.British arable farmers are able to command a higher price for their produce by selling it to domestically based bioethanol plants, than if they had to export it into Europe or further afield.

As a co-product of the fermentation process, a protein-rich animal feed is also produced which is used by pastoral farms throughout the UK - primarily for dairy herds, where milk production is increased and thereby greater profits secured for farmers. Without this, in order to gain the same level of protein for their herd, farmers would need to import soya bean product from South America.

As such, the British bioethanol industry provides a valuable circular economy for agriculture - buying its crops, creating a low-carbon fuel source, and returning a high-protein feed.

This Inquiry follows announcements last year from two of the UK’s largest bioethanol producers Vivergo and Ensus - to cease and pause production due to insufficient demand in the UK where only E5 - a blend of fuel containing five percent bioethanol - is available. The Inquiry comes ahead of an anticipated announcement later this year by the Department for Transport on E10.

The Inquiry will be seeking written evidence from all private and public bodies and individuals with an interest in the production or use of bioethanol including:

• Bioethanol Producers
• Motorist Organisation
• Farmers
• Fuel Retailers
• Environmental Groups
• Department for Transport

Interested organisations and individuals have until 5pm Friday 10th May 2019 to submit written evidence to the APPG Inquiry Secretariat at info@britishbioethanol.com. Contingent on time, oral evidence sessions will be hosted by the APPG on 30th April or 1st May in Parliament to enable MPs and peers to hear directly from experts and the industry, with a final report expected in the early Summer.

Chair of the APPG for British Bioethanol and Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe Nic Dakin MP said:

“The British Bioethanol industry - which is worth a billion pounds to the UK economy - is in a state of collapse and the introduction of E10 could help bring it back from the brink."

“This inquiry will seek to better understand the issues and barriers around introducing E10 in the UK which is already available in many other developed nations."

“While securing the future of the Industry on which thousands of jobs depend, introducing E10 could also help the UK meet its carbon reduction and air quality improvement targets, making it an issue urgently needing further investigation.”

Grant Pearson, Commercial Director at Ensus UK Ltd.:

"After years of delay and false dawns, the bioethanol industry now needs urgent progress on E10 which if introduced, could bring this one billion pound industry back from the brink of collapse.

“As E10 is cleaner and greener than the current E5 fuel, making it available at UK pumps is a no brainer, but we hope this inquiry will identify any remaining barriers to its introduction and ways to quickly overcome them."