PT member criticizes European logic that fuel production pushes other types of culture into forest areas
The president (PT) said this Monday (April 20, 2026) that the European Union believes in a “mythology” invented to stop the advance of biofuels in Europe. The criticism is directed at the criterion known as ILUCan acronym in English for Indirect Land Use Change, adopted by the European bloc.
According to the ILUC concept, when an area that previously produced food or served livestock farming starts to be used for biofuels, food production needs to be moved to another location. Still according to this logic, to compensate for the change, producers would tend to open new agricultural areas, including in regions with native vegetation. Thus, according to the Europeans’ view, although biofuels emit fewer gases than fossil fuels, they could end up stimulating deforestation indirectly.
During a speech at the Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting, held in Hanover, Lula stated that this dynamic does not apply to Brazil. According to the president, the country has more than 40 million hectares of degraded land that could be recovered and used for both food and biofuel production, without the need to advance into areas of native vegetation.
“The Germans cannot believe the mythology told by some who are against technological innovation in the area of fuels that Brazilian fuel hinders food production. If anyone wants to believe that, I invite them to visit Brazil”said Lula. “No one would be crazy to replace food production with biofuel.”
The topic of Brazilian biofuels in Europe has been one of Lula’s main themes on his trip to Germany. On Sunday (April 19), Lula stated that it was necessary to consider the sustainability of Brazilian agriculture and that creating barriers to access to biofuels is “counterproductive”.
