The effects on farming of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform and increased international competition have led to a downturn in farm incomes. The need to look for alternative markets for agricultural products traditionally grown in the region has become critical.
Renewables East was set up in 2002 with East of England Development Agency (EEDA) funding to help the region meet its renewable energy targets whilst ensuring the area gained the widest economic benefit. The initial and main focus has been on wind energy (on and off-shore) but includes biomass and biofuel initiatives within the region, more recently using funds made available through EEDA through BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme).
One of the key projects relates to helping business identify what within their current waste stream could be diverted from landfill, to produce energy for heat and electricity. A focus might be utilising clean waste wood through direct combustion or gasification, and introducing anaerobic digestion or gasification to recover energy from feedstock from the food and drink sector.
Bedfordia Farms near Bedford have developed this concept and built an anaerobic digestion plant, using pig slurry from the farm added to food waste brought in.
British Sugar have developed a new bioethanol plant at their site at Wissington, in Norfolk. Using local sugar beet as the feed stock, they have been producing bioethanol since September 2007, which will be blended with conventional petrol at rates of up to 10 per cent. The company have recently announced a collaboration and are in negotiation with BP and Du Pont to bring this product to market, and to investigate the feasibility of developing a network of such plants in the UK, using cereals as well as beet for the feed stock.
Late in 2005, a project was commissioned, using EEDA and Defra SFFS funding, to research commercial opportunities for non food crops other than for biomass and biofuels, including pharmaceuticals, health products and building materials. The report from this work has recommended that a research centre be set up in the region, taking advantage of the R&D capability in the sector already present, that can develop new crops and promote plant products in new markets. A 'virtual' hub has been developed involving all the major research centres in the region to help stimulate significant new regional business activity through grower and supply contracts, spin out commercialisation and knowledge transfer.
