The farmers’ union has called on the government to implement a national fuel exchange scheme which would uplift “problematic” diesel in farm tanks and replace it with alternative supplies.
The measure is required because of ongoing tractor and farm machinery filter issues which have been linked to the biofuel content in fuel.
More than 400 farmers have already reported issues to NFU Scotland (NFUS) alone and both unions are still being informed of new cases.
The NFUS’ legal and technical committee chairman, Linlithgow farmer Jamie Smart, said yesterday only mild weather was preventing the industry from grinding to a halt.
“The weather is saving us more than anything, because the instances and severity of the problem is much worse when the weather is cold,” he added.
“The warmer weather has taken the pressure off for the last few weeks and farmers are working their way through their fuel supplies, but they still have problem diesel in their tanks and they need to get it uplifted and replaced.”
At the end of last year fuel manufacturer Petroineos agreed to reduce the biofuel content of its diesel as a short-term solution.
After a meeting with experts in December, the industry also received a commitment to create a dedicated taskforce which will assess filter blocking in agricultural vehicles.
Mr Smart said: “The British Standards Institution committee has looked at blockages in cars in the past and it would need to be convened to look at this issue.
“All the tests done so far say the fuel is within specifications, so there is something wrong with the standards. The most important thing is that this problem doesn’t arise again.”
The union has also called for further research into the behaviour of recycled oil and animal fats in diesel and to assess if specific fats should be excluded.
Farmers experiencing problems are encouraged to fill in a survey which can be found at nfuonline.com
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
