While the move has been welcomed by the Australian Lot Feeders Association, the NSW Farmers’ Association is ramping up its efforts to promote alternative fuels.

NSW Farmers will join in next month’s the NRMA roundtable discussion on alternative fuels and energy sources in Australia.

NSW Farmers’ Association president Jock Laurie says the roundtable will explore ways to “optimise biofuels as part of a mix of alternative fuels and technology for future transport needs, issues of great importance to the farming community”.

But ALFA says ethanol mandates have negative grain, food and environmental impacts, which outweigh any benefits involved.

ALFA vice president, Jim Cudmore said there was “increasing international condemnation against Government support for particularly grain-derived ethanol production given food price, poverty and environmental concerns”.

“Even the US, an ardent biofuels supporter, has seen the error in their ways with the Republican Party recently reversing its policy by stating that they will remove ethanol mandates should they be returned to office,” Mr Cudmore said.

“The EU has also recently lowered its targets for biofuels sourced from crops due to the same concerns.”