Irish farms are used to producing the nation's food supply. Now the Government wants them to help fuel our cars too.
In the final part of the special RTÉ News series On The Move: The Future of Transport, Environment Correspondent Paul Cunningham found the Government hopes crops like rapeseed can act as a replacement fuel for diesel.
However, some farmers moved away from rapeseed after grain prices have increased this year, raising a question over supply.
A construction site at New Ross (left) is about to become the largest commercial bio-diesel plant in the country, potentially next August.
But what about petrol? Enter miscanthus - or elephant grass.
Some environmentalists are very concerned, fearing genetically modified crops will be introduced under the guise of saving the planet.
They also highlight other problems, such as the impact of diverting rapeseed from the food sector to the fuel sector.
Then there is the issue of space. If the EU cannot produce enough bio-fuels, some firms could go to places like Africa - leaving politicians to balance the need for alternative fuels with the potential for an instable supply and more environmental degredation.
