Biofuels will 'devastate the poor'

• European Union plans to enforce biofuel use
• Charity warns plans will 'devastate land'
• Poorer countries will suffer the most

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Oxfam has hit out at European Union plans to make it mandatory by 2020 for 10% of all member states' fuels to come from biofuels.

It says the plans will devastate land in the world's poorest countries.

The charity says that to meet demand, EU states will have to import biofuel, which is made from crops such as sugar cane and palm oil.

However, it says that Governments in developing countries will be eager to cash, and will force people from their land to create bigger plantations and grow biofuel crops instead of food.

Oxfam fears that this has already happened in countries including Indonesia, Colombia, Brazil, Tanzania and Malaysia.

Oxfam's Robert Bailey said: 'In the scramble to supply the EU and the rest of the world with biofuels, poor people are getting trampled. The EU proposals will exacerbate the problem.

'It is unacceptable that poor people in developing countries should bear the cost of questionable attempts to cut emissions in Europe.'