IT has been reported that the four-month halt to production at the £250m Ensus bioethanol plant on Teeside is due to an EU directive on renewable energy (Echo, May 14).

Despite the plant’s efforts to bring production costs down, the directive forces Ensus to use renewable sources.

In addition, the European market is flooded with cheap imported ethanol from the US, which takes advantage of loopholes in EU import legislation to avoid tariffs.

In the meantime, production is down and jobs are being suspended. Also jobs may be cut due to the high cost of renewable sources.

The EU is once again damaging our industries while trying to be “saviours” of our planet. Let’s get real and let’s tell the EU where to go.

John Tennant, UKIP North-East.