Red Tractor has secured free access to the biofuels market for its members, with demand predicted to increase again this year. Charlotte Cunningham reports.

According to Red Tractor, this means that cereals, oilseeds and sugar beet produced under the assurance scheme will be eligible for use in bioethanol production and export to the EU.

“The biofuels market is set to grow at home and abroad this year and we’re pleased that our assured crops members will be able to take full advantage of this without incurring extra cost,” said Jim Moseley, chief executive.

“The Red Tractor team has worked hard to maintain the decade-long partnership by keeping up with changes to EU legislation, meaning our members will continue to benefit from automatic compliance with the revised Renewable Energy Directive as part of their assessment with Red Tractor.

“It’s important to know that new requirements being asked of our members to remain compliant are also being asked of farmers globally when their crops are destined for the biofuels market.”