'It's madness that we even have to have this conversation'

MAYOR LUKE CAMPBELL VISITS SALTEND PLANT AMID CLOSURE FEARS

- By ANDREW SPENCE

MAYOR Luke Campbell has visited the UK's largest bioethanol plant amidst fears the plant may have to shut down within days.

The Vivergo Fuels plant at Saltend Chemicals Park, east of Hull, is the largest of its kind in the UK, however the plant’s owners have warned that without government intervention it will be forced to close down.

Vivergo Fuels say that the US-UK trade deal announced last month will be disastrous for the UK’s bioethanol industry as the deal includes the removal of a 19 per cent tariff on ethanol imports from the US.

The Managing Director of Vivergo Fuels, Ben Hackett told Hull Live that Vivergo, and other UK firms, will not be able to compete with the US imports without the 19 per cent tariff. Mr Hackett explained that US bioethanol companies use genetically modified crops and have lower operational costs that their British counterparts, such as Vivergo. He therefore explained that the imposed tariff “was to level the playing field” rather than giving UK companies an advantage.