To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to paragraph 170 of the impact assessment for the UK Renewable Energy Strategy 2009, by how much he expects (a) food and (b) biomass prices to rise as a consequence of implementation of the strategy. (295779)

As we stated in the impact assessment, Government have not quantified the impacts on food prices and biomass for the rural sector. For the purpose of modelling the impact of the Renewable Energy Strategy, we used different scenarios for future biomass costs—both increasing and decreasing over time—to reflect the range of uncertainty involved (E4Tech (2009) Biomass supply curve for the UK). Future biomass prices are likely to be driven by global supply and demand trends as well as developments in the UK market.