No more agrofuels that lead to hunger and environmental degradation - this is what the Swiss parliament has decided. terre des hommes schweiz and around 20 other organisations of the Agrofuels Platform have achieved a change in the law after five years of persuasion.
Since last week, the parliamentary initiative on agrofuels has been approved by parliament. The initiative aims to curb the devastating effects of agrofuel production. Some 20 Swiss development, agricultural and environmental organisations of the Agrofuels Platform (terre des hommes schweiz is a member) can claim this success after five years of continuous public relations and lobbying.
Tax relief the Achilles' heel
With the new legislation, the existing criteria for tax relief on agrofuels will be tightened up and laid down in law. In order to receive tax relief for agrofuels, they must be produced under socially acceptable conditions and no more tropical forests must be cut down for this purpose. Even if agrofuel can continue to be produced without tax relief, the loss of tax relief makes the production or sale of fuel from corn, soya, sugar cane and palm oil economically unattractive.
Broad-based receivables
Both Councils clearly approved the initiative. With the criteria that have now been adopted, Parliament is meeting important demands of the petition "No agrofuels that lead to hunger and environmental destruction", which was submitted in February 2011 by 35 Swiss organisations with 62,000 signatures.
