The plant shut after the UK allowed the US access to 1.4 billion litres of the domestic market under a recent trade deal. Once among Europe’s largest bioethanol producers, Vivergo was a major buyer of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire wheat. NFU president Tom Bradshaw backed the committee’s call to safeguard UK bioethanol production. The committee also called for major trade commitments to be subject to parliamentary scrutiny, a move welcomed by the union. Farming groups have long pushed for greater transparency, warning that unchecked deals undermine the industries at the heart of food security and rural economies.