Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted
Domestic biomass production risks conflicting with food security and land availability.
Recommendation
DESNZ noted that global biomass prices would strongly influence how significant a role biomass would play and in what sectors, given that there are several areas in which it can be used.45 Higher biomass prices could encourage a growth in domestic production, but this could reduce the amount of land available for food production in the UK.46 The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is currently consulting on this issue in advance of producing a ‘land use framework’. which will look at how to reduce the risk of competition between biomass production and food production.47 For example, the government has committed to at least maintain current levels of UK food production and to achieve a degree of reforestation by 2050, both of which will reduce land availability for growing biomass feedstocks.48 We heard from stakeholders that there is a need for a more pragmatic approach to promoting domestic biomass production and that biomass can be cultivated on marginal land that is not used for food production.49
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and will monitor the international and domestic biomass supply landscape, ensuring that the government is abreast of changes to regulatory arrangements, market dynamics, and other factors that drive the supply of and demand for pellets.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5. PAC recommendation: DESNZ should make sure it has an approach in place for identifying and then mitigating the risks to the supply of biomass, both domestically and internationally. 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2027 5.2 DESNZ officials continue to monitor the international and domestic biomass supply landscape, ensuring that the government is abreast of changes to regulatory arrangements, market dynamics, and other factors that drive the supply of and demand for pellets. 5.3 However, it is important to note that international pellet supply will continue to be vital to the delivery of UK electricity generation in the coming years. Most pellets used in the UK are sourced from the United States, where the availability of plentiful secondary materials and residue for pellet production - coupled with a robust, efficient supply chain - ensures that a reliable supply of pellets is available to meet the needs of UK generators. 5.4 Biomass pellet production at a comparable scale would not be possible in the UK given the size and productivity of available forest resources. 5.5 However, smaller-scale biomass generators can continue to be supplied by a variety of domestically sourced feedstock including wood waste, poultry litter and agricultural waste. These waste feedstocks provide a reliable source of domestic biomass supply but are not suitable for the technologies currently used by larger-scale generators.