LONDON: The British food industry calls for the government to subsidize the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) during a surge in gas prices or at risk of the collapse of the state meat industry.
The surge in gas prices has forced two British fertilizer plants to be closed, stripping a food manufacturer with a side product CO2 used to cut animals before slaughter and vacuum food to extend the shelf life.
Lack of CO2, which is also used to include Fizz into beer, juice, and soft drinks, comes at a terrible time for the food industry, which has faced the lack of acute truck drivers and the impact of Brexit and Covid-19.
Nick Allen from the Association The British meat processor said on Saturday that the pig sector was two weeks away from hitting the buffer, while the British poultry council said its members were in the “edges” because suppliers could only guarantee delivery up to 24- hours in advance.
Business Minister Kwarteng Kwarteng is scheduled to meet with the head of the largest energy supplier and operator in the UK on Saturday to discuss the situation.
He said he did not expect to supply the emergency this year because of various sources.
However, the food industry says more support is needed.
“It doesn’t do anything not an option,” Allen told Reuters, added that considering the extraordinary circumstances, the government needed to subsidize the power supply to maintain fertilizer production or CO2 sources from other places.
The Head of the British Poultry Board Richard Griffiths said he worked with the government to assess the level of stock and implement a contingency plan, but warned that food supply disorders could be a national security problem.
Whether the slaughterhouse runs out of CO2, pigs and chickens will be abandoned on agriculture, creating additional animal welfare, food supply, and food waste problems, he said, added: “We hope this can be avoided through rapid government action.” A spokesman said that the government was closely related to the food and agricultural industry to help them manage.