Plaid MEP Jill Evans has called on the European Commission to rethink its commitment to agrofuels and scrap its target for sourcing 10% of renewable energies from agrofuels by 2020. MEPs meeting in Strasbourg have been debating the issue this week in the European Parliament where a vote calling for a moratorium was heavily defeated. Ms Evans voted in favour of a moratorium.

Agrofuels - also called biofuels - are liquid fuels produced from agricultural crops and last year the European Commission has said it wants 10% of Europe's renewable energy to come from agrofuels by 2020.

Speaking from Strasbourg the Plaid MEP said:

"Agrofuels are not the answer to the current challenges we face in increasing our use of renewable energy. There is widespread concern about their harmful effect on food prices and food supply and it would be very unwise for the European Commission to continue pursuing this policy with such obsession. The use of food crops for fuels is wrong. Only waste and residues should be used for energy production

"I am supporting calls for an immediate moratorium on biofuels and a scrapping of the 10% target. As things stand, agrofuels produce very little benefit in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and this booming trade is creating unneeded competition between food and energy production.

"We need to reduce demand for energy and invest much more in truly renewable energy sources. Agrofuels are part of the problem, not part of the solution."

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