Safe Landing has submitted evidence to the UK Government’s consultation on crop-derived sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), setting out why these fuels should not be included in the UK SAF mandate.
Our position is clear: crop-based biofuels are not a credible or sustainable solution for decarbonising aviation.
While often presented as an environmental solution, the evidence shows that crop-based fuels:
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require vast amounts of land
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compete directly with food production
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drive deforestation and biodiversity loss
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risk increasing emissions when land-use change is considered
As highlighted in our submission, meeting aviation fuel demand with biofuels could require about half of all UK farmland or, globally, a fifth of the world’s cropland. This would place enormous pressure on our global food systems which are already under severe strain due to population growth, changing diets, and the impacts of climate change on crop yields. In this context, expanding crop production for aviation fuel risks exacerbating land-use pressures and undermining international efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and biodiversity loss.
We also warn that relying on crop-based fuels could delay the transition to genuinely scalable solutions, such as zero-carbon aircraft and renewable energy pathways, while creating economic risks through dependence on imported feedstocks.
Instead, we should:
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prioritise zero-carbon aircraft and efficiency improvements
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scale renewable energy and green hydrogen
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invest in nature-friendly agriculture, not fuel crops
We propose upgrading UK industrial strategies for the aviation, fuel and agriculture sectors. Aviation tax (and SAF Mandate penalty) revenues should be used to build additional renewable energy which is both cost effective and provides the maximum cross-sector carbon savings. This could be built in the North East of England and Scotland e.g. near the Humber and Grangemouth regions where refineries have recently closed – and where the renewable electricity could then be used for green hydrogen, ammonia and later, e-fuel production. For agriculture, financial support should be provided for regenerative farming practices e.g. crop rotation, cover crops, precision agriculture and fossil-free fertiliser use. Such practices could be supported directly, rather than in-directly via aviation fuel policy.
Aviation workers want an industry transition that is both environmentally and economically sustainable. That means avoiding short-term sticking plasters that will create even bigger long-term problems.
The message is simple: the cure must not be worse than the disease.
Read our full submission: Safe Landing response to UK Open call for evidence, SAF Mandate: crop-derived SAF