by Bob Carruth (National Farmers Union Scotland) NFU Scotland is pursuing high level solutions to the machinery problems many Scottish and UK farmers have been experiencing linked to the biofuel content in fuel.
Fuel is a reserved issue and the Union is therefore seeking support from both the Scottish and UK Governments to find a solution and mitigate the problem. In December, the Union wrote to Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP that was shared with Scottish Government.
The Union welcomed the decision by fuel manufacturer Petroineos at the end of last year to reduce biofuel content as a short-term solution.
NFU Scotland’s key asks of the UK Government are for it to:
- Broker a fuel replacement scheme to enable farmers who have problematic fuel on farm to receive a fuel uplift and refill of alternative fuel suitable for their needs.
- Conduct a review of the specification and testing protocols to ensure fuel produced within the UK is fit for purpose and reliable. To ensure the review of this specification and testing protocol is delivered in a timely manner to prevent a future crisis.
- Lead further research into the behaviour of recycled oil and animal fats within diesel and to assess if specific fats should be excluded from diesel.
Representatives from NFU Scotland and NFU attended a meeting with industry experts in December to discuss the specifications, standards and testing protocol of fuel. A commitment has been made to create a dedicated taskforce which will assess filter blocking within agricultural vehicles. READ MORE