"Our ethanol and biodiesel blends come from used and waste sources in Australia so the argument of competition against food simply does not apply" said Heather Brodie, CEO of the BAA. "Australia's production of ethanol mainly comes from molasses and waste starch. The one production facility using red sorghum, which is a grain but not a food source, needs only 200,000 tonnes out of a crop last year of nearly four million tonnes. Our surplus sorghum crop is exported to Japan - surely it is valuable to use it in the local production of a low carbon fuel which is good for the environment."
"Using the feedlot industry's own analysis from the Centre for International Economics (August 2005) the possible price impact of a 700 million litre grain based ethanol industry in Australia would only be 2%" Ms Brodie said.
Most of the waste stream from the production of ethanol is returned to the feed lot industry as high quality, high calorific value wet or dry distiller's grain - sort of like very rich food for animals.
"At the moment transportation is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases and is responsible for more than a quarter of the world's emissions" Ms Brodie said. "Ninety eight percent of the energy used in the transportation industry still derives from fossil fuels. Immediate reductions of emissions can be achieved through the use of alternative fuel sources such as ethanol and biodiesel blends, without impacting on any food products."
"It's time we all started recognising that locally produced, environmentally sustainable and economically viable transport fuels will actually be necessary in order to meet petroleum demands in the future. Australia has the opportunity to lead the world in the use of biofuels but at the moment we are well behind the mature positions being taken in Europe, America, Asia and Brazil."