UN Says US, EU Biofuel Production Irresponsible

May 3, 2008 2:20 p.m. EST

Paris, France (AHN)- Amid food riots and commodity prices soaring beyond public reach, the United Nations' special rapporteur on the right to food on Friday pushed sought to freeze all biofuels investment.

In an interview with Le Monde newspaper, newly appointed adviser Olivier de Schutter said the biofuel industry is aggravating the global food crisis affecting the world's poorest people.

"The ambitious goals for biofuel production set by the United States and the European Union are irresponsible," he told Le Monde, adding "I am calling for a freeze on all investment in this sector."

Schutter, a Belgian expert on international law, argued that the pursuit of biofuels is a "scandal that only serves the interests of a tiny lobby".

He openly criticized the business sector for failing to anticipate civil unrest caused by food shortage and soaring prices -- an act he dismissed as "unforgivable".

"Nothing was done to prevent speculation in raw materials, though it was predictable investors would turn to these markets following the stock market slowdown," the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Schutter.

The special rapporteur likewise called for a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council to discuss the food crisis and global shortages.