EU panel votes to lower controversial biofuel goal

STRASBOURG, July 8 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers took a first step towards lowering EU biofuels targets when a European Parliament panel backed a proposal to draw just 4 percent of road transport fuels from renewable sources by 2015.

The 27 EU leaders agreed last year to get 10 percent of road transport fuel from renewable sources such as biofuels by 2020, but the target has been attacked by environmentalists, who say it contributes to rising food prices and deforestation.

The first generation of biofuels come mainly from crops such as maize, sugar cane and palm trees. Officials place great hope in second-generation biofuels, not yet in commercial production, that would use biomass from forest and crop waste, and algae, without competing with food production.

Luxembourg Green MEP Claude Turmes proposed amending the target to 4 percent in 2015, with a major review before proceeding to a target of 8 to 10 percent by 2020.

Parliament's environment committee, which is advising the lead industry committee on the legislation, voted 36-0 in favour of the amendment late on Monday, with 8 abstentions.

The industry committee will hold its vote in September, with a final parliament vote expected later in the year.

"The political tide in Europe is now turning against biofuels," said Adrian Bebb, agrofuels coordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe, an environmental pressure group.

"Politicians are waking up to the fact that using crops to feed cars is a disaster in the making for both people and nature," he added.

France, which has just taken over the EU's rotating presidency for six months, said last week that setting strict environmental and social criteria for the import of biofuels was more important than meeting the 10 percent target.