Following the announcement of the outline of a UK/US trade deal, Graham is working with Vivergo Fuels, the UK’s leading bioethanol plant based in Saltend, to convince the government to save the plant.
Last month’s trade deal, announced earlier this month, eliminates the 19% tariff on US ethanol imports and introduces a new quota allowing the import of 1.4 billion litres of US ethanol every year – equivalent to the entire demand in the UK.
UK producers like Vivergo, which employs around 150 direct jobs as well as thousands in the supply chain, use locally produced wheat to produce bioethanol, a key component of E10 petrol as well as valuable by-products such as animal feed and CO2.
Graham and plant owner Associated British Foods (ABF) have already raised the fact that Vivergo may be unable to compete with subsidised US imports and could have to close – meaning the loss of jobs (both at the plant and in the farms which supply the plant).
Graham raised this on Question Time earlier this month and is a long-time supporter of the Saltend plant.
Graham said, “Plants like Vivergo are a cornerstone of our local economy and a huge part of the UK’s energy mix.
“I’ll be working closely with Vivergo to show the government how important Vivergo is not just to the region, but to the whole country.”