Following the furore in the news this week over a potential Co2 supply shock leading to food shortages, it’s important to offer some perspective on the current situation. The leaked report on Co2 supply describes a hypothetical ‘worst-case scenario’ which the government has used for their contingency planning. It does not describe the situation as it currently stands and we commend the government for putting in place such planning.

As we have seen twice before in recent years, meat processing in the UK has a unique reliance on Co2. While the absolute volumes of the gas used are comparatively small, it is a critical component in the slaughter of pigs. If an adequate supply of Co2 cannot be secured, pig processing businesses can grind to a halt. In that scenario some companies would have to stop taking animals and close production lines, leading to a log-jam of animals back to the farms and a resulting animal welfare issue.

Since the last Co2 crisis, which was precipitated by the closure of UK fertiliser production plants (from which Co2 is a by-product), meat companies have been mitigating the risk of a future supply shock by diversifying their sourcing of Co2. Where space allows, some plants have set up their own on-site bio-digesters which allows them to process waste, capture Co2 and clean it to food grade standard for use in the plant. But most still rely on international gas supply merchants, with the UK currently importing a large proportion of its Co2 needs.

This does highlight a longer term vulnerability in our domestic production capacity of key inputs to the food supply chain. High industrial energy costs caused our remaining large fertiliser plants to shut down in 2022 which, in turn, made us more reliant on foreign supplies of both fertiliser and its byproduct, Co2. This latest threat to supply caused by the war in Iran is a timely reminder that parts of the UK food production system are still reliant on overseas suppliers. This was highlighted in a House of Lords Debate on 9 March ’26 by Lord Fuller – himself a 40 year veteran of the fertiliser industry – when he said: “There is no domestic production of ammonia or fertilisers any more; we are reliant on the kindness of strangers”.

Returning to the situation today, there is no immediate concern over Co2 supplies. We are confident that the Government’s proactive move to re-open the Ensus bioethanol plant, coupled with their understanding that abattoirs along with nuclear power plants and the NHS must be prioritised will mean that the meat industry is well placed to weather any short term supply shortage. Equally, BMPA and its members stand ready to work with government to continue to improve supply chain resilience and do our part to strengthen UK food security against future events.