The benefits of biofuel

Mar 8 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

NORTH EAST livestock farmers will have the chance to find out more about how the region’s first biofuel plant, at Wilton on Teesside, could benefit their sector at the next meeting of the NFU’s regional livestock board.

Due to take place on Tuesday at the Golden Fleece in Thirsk, the meeting will hear from Ensus speakers.

Technical director John Pinkney will provide an initial overview of the plant and talk about the long-term prospects for liquid biofuel production.

He will be followed by commercial director Grant Pearson, who will discuss in some detail the high-protein animal feed that results from the grain fermentation process.

Called DDGS or Dried Distillers Grain with Solubles, this product has the potential to provide a useful feedstuff for local livestock.

Mick Hazzledine, a nutrition expert working with Ensus, will also be on hand to discuss the appropriate feed rations of DDGS for sheep and cattle, so farmers can gain a better understanding of how the feedstuff could be incorporated into their feeding regimes.

Regional board member and chairman of the meeting, Scarborough sheep farmer Will Terry, said: “There has been some heated debate within the livestock sector about the impact of the emerging biofuels market.

“Contributing in part to the significant rise in grain prices that have hit the livestock sector hard, it has at times been difficult to see how we could stand to benefit from it.

“This meeting will give us a great opportunity to hear at first hand from the people at Ensus about exactly how we could capitalise on a good-quality animal feed that is essentially one of their main bi-products.”

The meeting starts at 7.30pm and is open to all NFU members.