Overview

• Ministers have ruled out direct financial support after commissioned analysis concluded a bailout would not offer value for taxpayers or address underlying competitiveness issues.
• The May UK–US trade deal removed a 19% ethanol tariff and introduced a 1.4 billion-litre duty-free quota, which Vivergo and Ensus say rendered domestic production commercially unviable.
• Vivergo took its final wheat delivery on 31 July and halted ethanol output as it begins formal staff consultations with around 160 redundancies expected next week.
• Closure of the plant threatens demand for over one million tonnes of UK wheat annually and endangers thousands of related farming, haulage and engineering roles.
• The Saltend facility also produces high-protein animal feed and up to 80% of Britain’s biogenic CO₂, and industry proposals for regulatory reforms and expanded fuel mandates remain unacted upon.