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Most UK biofuels crops EU compliant

The AHDB concludes that 97pc of the UK's rapeseed, 100pc of its sugar beet and 84pc of its wheat production falls in line with the directive's sustainability criteria. The board made its findings after reviewing raw data and evidence acquired by a report produced in 2010.

Among the criteria is a requirement that all biofuels achieve emissions savings of 35pc compared with those from fossil fuels by mid-2010, and by April 2013 for installations that were already operating in January 2008. This threshold is due to expand to 50pc by 2017, and to 60 pc by 2018 for biofuels produced in installations where production began during or after 2017.

AHDB's findings were reached in partnership with the Department for Transport and an industry consortium, and form the basis of a new emissions audit to be submitted to the European Commission within the next few weeks.

The figures will replace the “bleak” results of the 2010 report produced by an independent research institute which suffered from “limited data and resources”, AHDB said.

The board notes that the new the consortium relied on “more robust data for average yields, oil content [oilseed rape], fertiliser use, fuel consumption, soil organic matter and nitrogen content of residues returned to soils”.

The findings will be incorporated in the domestic supply chain with “immediate effect” should the commission accept the report.

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