The Irish Farmers' Association has complained that the income from growing crops for energy is marginal and is hampering the development of the biofuels industry.
The association is calling on the Government to encourage more energy crops by giving farmers special subsidies and tax incentives.
The IFA says it wants to play a leading role in promoting viable alternative uses of land, and has set up a project team to explore the options.
However, farmers insist that growing energy crops must given them an economic return on investment and labour.
They say the current return is only marginal. They are calling on the Government to pay them a premium of €125 per hectare, as well as substantial excise rebates.
The main energy crop grown in Ireland is rapeseed. This year, about 16,000 acres has been planted, however, that is only enough to meet the national fuel demand for one week.
