New incentives for energy crops due to kick in next July

Ireland must support the growing of bio-energy crops such as Miscanthus

Jim O'Brien

Rapeseed and rapeseed oil was one of the first 'alternative' crops to emerge when governments, farmers and farm advisors began to look around for alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels. The notion of energy crops began to take hold at that stage.

In terms of mass production rapeseed is a relative newcomer to Europe with just 4,482 metric tonnes of rapeseed oil produced in 1999 compared to 10,450 produced in 2017.