Donald, Victoria, June 13 - Farmer and entrepreneur Josh Pearse is making waves in the Australian state of Victoria.  Josh, along with partners Alisdair Turnbull and James Matthews, started Mission Diesel in 2003, and currently produce 100,000 litres annually using locally grown canola (rapeseed) and tallow.  Realising that to get the business to the next stage would require funding, they approached Peter Walsh, MP for Swan Hill.

 

The MP, realising the project could bring big benefits to the local community, approached the Minister for the Environment to recommend an application by Mission Diesel to the Sustainability Fund for AUS $381,000 (US $281,000) to further develop Mission's biodiesel plant.

 

Speaking in Parliament last week, Mr Walsh described the project as ideally suited for support by the Sustainability Fund because it would produce 20,000 litres of renewable fuel for the local community.

 

“A plant could be built and used in any location, creating a fine community model,” he said. “Farmers grow and sell the feedstock, and buy back the fuel and high protein canola meal by-product to feed their animals.

 

“Another by-product, glycerine, is sold to soap manufacturers. When fully developed, the new plant will enable Mission Diesel to process multiple feedstocks, from used cooking oils to locally grown canola and tallow.

 

“Their plant is now capable of producing 100,000 litres per annum but the partners lack the finance to take the project to the next level,” he said.

 

Highlighting the strong local support enjoyed by the project, Mr Walsh urged the Minister for the Environment, Hon John Thwaites MP, to recognise the opportunities it would bring to Donald and the Buloke Shire and support the application. 

 

Having made their point at the local level, Mission Diesel is now taking on the Federal Government with some well-made points regarding taxation of biofuels.

 

The company says farmers trying to establish commercially viable biodiesel operations need the government to do more to encourage expansion of their industry.

They say taxing biodiesel at the same level as ordinary diesel is a disincentive to farmers hoping to make and use it.

Rising fuel costs, for grain farmers in particular, present them with a great opportunity to start growing some of the fuel they need for their farms.

"There should be more incentives for people to actually get into the biodiesel industry, and even for tax benefit for farmers and for people to start using biodiesel," Mr Pearse said.

"I think what is going to happen is that it is going to go back to a bit like the old days where they used to grow a quarter of their farm to feed the draft horses. We're going to go back to growing canola to fuel our tractors." 

Source:  http://www.peterwalsh.org.au/

Editor's comment: Mission Diesel last week announced that their subsidiary, Mission Biotechnologies, would be opening a plant in Kuantan, on the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia.  See related article here: http://www.biofuelreview.com/content/view/54/2/

David Smith, Singapore