Environment Secretary backs anaerobic digestion at Tory conference

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Food waste fuelled anaerobic digestion has been backed by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson in a speech at the Conservative Party conference.

In a speech on the environment that mainly concentrated on rural issues, the Secretary of State said that scientific and technological advances have a key role to play in enabling the country to benefit from alternative energy sources.

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He said: “The concept of anaerobic digestion, for example, is tremendous. We have a huge volume of food waste in this country which we should use for power rather than sending to landfill.

“We must, however, ensure that the right measures are deployed in the right place to deliver the right results.”

He added that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will work with the Department of Energy and Climate Change as it considers future levels of support for low carbon energy. He also said he was not in support of dairy farmers being outbid for land by those who want to grow maize for anaerobic digestion.