Written question asked by David Kidney (Labour) on Monday, 18 May 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 20 May 2009. It was answered by Jane Kennedy (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 June 2009 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Biofuels

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to expand the categories of used cooking oil which may be classified as fuel under the proposed end-of-waste protocol.

Answer: In October 2007, the Environment Agency issued for public consultation a draft end-of-waste protocol for "biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oil". Following consideration by the Agency of the responses to that consultation, the terms of the protocol were expanded to cover "the production and use of biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil and rendered animal fat". On this basis, a post-consultation draft of the protocol was notified to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC). The notification period required under the directive has now ended and the Agency proposes to publish the final protocol in the next few weeks; and to review the published protocol in June 2011. In the meantime, the Agency has no plans further to expand the categories of waste covered by the protocol.

Secondary information