Now gas shortage threatens your fry-up!

SCOTLAND could be facing a shortage of bacon and sausages – because the country’s pig processing plants have run out of carbon dioxide.

The gas, which is used to to render the pig unconscious before slaughter, is in short supply throughout Europe.

Now, Quality Pork Limited, which sends around 6,000 pigs per week through its Scots abattoir, is having to send animals south of the Border after running out of CO2 yesterday. The firm, in Brechin, Angus, carried out its last slaughter yesterday and said it is unsure when more gas will be delivered.

There are plans to send around 1,000 pigs to another plant near Manchester this week, but operators say the lack of CO2 could have serious implications if the shortage continues.

The shortage is understood to have been caused by a longer than usual break in production of ammonia, one of the key sources of food-grade CO2 in Europe. At least five gas producers in Northern Europe have been offline for maintenance, according to the publication Gas World.

The UK has been hit particularly hard as only one major CO2 plant was operating this week and imports from the Continent have been affected by other shut-downs.

Supermarket giant Morrisons said it is not currently seeing shortages of pork or other meat in stores but said some frozen products had been affected by the shortage. It added that it aimed to resume selling its full online range ‘as soon as possible’. A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the supply issues relating to CO2, particularly in relation to Scotland’s food and drink sector, and we are liaising closely with the UK Government and industry bodies to share information and monitor the situation.

‘We stand ready to do all we can to support any business or sector which needs it and will not hesitate to call upon the UK Government to do likewise, should the need arise.’