Don biofuels cause deforestation in some countries?
Agricultural production for food, cosmetics and biofuels has the potential to cause deforestation. Deforestation has been going on for many years largely for the production of timber and foods crops. There is a fear that a new biofuels industry will make matters worse. However, this is avoidable and the UK biofuels industry has recognised this, and that is why the RTFO is underpinned by sustainability criteria. These cover deforestation, air, water and soil quality as well as social effects like the treatment of workers and respect for the rights of local people. We hope that in this way UK biofuels will provide a major driver for sustainable development in all agricultural production in the future.
