Key lawmaker urges EU to scrap 10 pct biofuel target

By Pete Harrison

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - The European Union should abandon controversial plans to source 10 percent of its transport fuels from renewable sources such as biofuels, a report by a leading EU lawmaker says.

The green credentials of biofuels have come under attack in recent months over fears that they compete for farming land and push up food prices around the world.

Claude Turmes, a Green Party member from Luxembourg who is leading renewables legislation through the European Parliament, will also call for a ban on using arable farmland for biofuels, according to the report obtained by Reuters.

"There is overwhelming evidence to drop the mandatory 10 percent target for fuels from renewables," the report said.

"Depending on the world food situation, a complete restriction on the use of arable land for energy production or a limitation to certain volumes will be requested," it added.

The 10 percent target was set by leaders of the EU's 27 member states, but it cannot become law without also getting the backing of the European Parliament.

Parliament's influential industry committee will vote on the report in July, but it will not reach a final parliament vote until September.

Turmes also urged the EU to define categories of biofuels with no harmful consequences, which could be fully supported, such as biofuels made from the waste from forestry, farms and homes, as well as from algae or crops grown on degraded land.