UKIFDA technical manager Tony Brown also commented:

“As well as the FAME increase or blend issue, other factors are naturally at play. The compatibility of agricultural machinery with the new fuels, as well as housekeeping and maintenance issues are likely to have played a part; and may cause problems again in the future. It is important that business owners and farmers who use mobile machinery understand what the increased FAME content means for them in terms of vehicles, machinery and fuel storage tanks.

“UKIFDA has produced guidance on housekeeping for the farming community and users of gas oil which can be obtained from a UKIFDA member fuel distributor or on UKIFDA’s website.”

“We will continue to engage with the supply chain and associated bodies to understand previous issues and tackle any further ones, and use the lessons learnt for future rollouts of biofuel,” added Guy.