Shoppers face pork shortage as major pig abattoir closes due to CO2 deficit
Supermarket shelves could soon be bare of fresh pork due to Europe-wide shortages of carbon dioxide.
The warning comes as Scotland largest pig slaughterhouse has been forced to close due to a scarcity of the gas.
Carbon dioxide is used to stun the animals before they are killed, in an effort to minimise potential suffering.
It is also used to put the bubbles in fizzy drinks.
Supplies have dwindled across Europe as a result of operational problems at a key producer and maintenance shutdowns at other sites. Only one major plant is currently making the gas in the UK.
The shortage has already hit soft drinks and beer manufacturers, forcing some to cut production.
Now Quality Pork, a farmer-run co-operative abattoir in Brechin, has had to halt work until the situation is resolved. It processes around 6,000 pigs every week, providing meat to many major supermarkets.
Bosses there have warned the welfare of animals could suffer if the gas shortages continue, with farms in danger of over-crowding as pig numbers build up.
Andy Mcgowan is chief executive of the membership organisation Scottish Pig Producers, a partner in Quality Pork. He said the group has received no date when deliveries will return to normal.
“Short-term it will be OK, because there is a certain amount of spare capacity on farms, but the longer it persists the more serious it potentially gets,” he said.
“You can juggle things for a week or two but after that it starts getting a bit tricky.
“Eventually we will hit the stage where we have to get the pigs off farms.”
He warned that supermarkets could feel the effects of the gas shortages from next week, with fresh meat the first to be affected. Processed products such as bacon, sausages and ham could run low later.
And he has warned that other fresh meat and fish could also be hit as carbon dioxide is used as in the packaging process to extend shelf life.
Farmers have called for abattoirs to be prioritised when gas becomes available.
Penny Middleton, animal health and welfare policy manager for National Farmers Union Scotland, said: “Given the expectation of animal welfare problems on pig and poultry units, NFUS feels it is vital that CO2 supplies are reserved and directed to those plants in need.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “We are liaising closely with the UK government and industry bodies to share information and monitor the situation.”
While almost half of Scotland’s landowners and tenant farmers feel positive about the next 12 months, a “worryingly high number” of businesses are failing to draw up proper succession plans.
According to the latest annual survey carried out by chartered accountants, Johnston Carmichael, in the run up to the Highland show,46 per cent of farm businesses feel positive about the future compared with35percentofrespondents last year – while more than a third said they were uncertain about the future amid the changing landscape prompted by Brexit.
However, it also revealed that more than half of those questioned admitted they did not have succession plans in place for their businesses despite almost two-thirds of respondents being over 50 years old. On top of this, over a third said that they would have to fund retirement by taking money out of the business.
Robin Dandie, partner and head of agriculture at Johnston Carmichael, said:“it’s great to see that optimism is on the rise among farmers. Selling prices are currently better across livestock and cereals following a shortage of cattle for processing and as Scotland’s distillers go from strength to strength.
“What is less encouraging is that just over half of respondents admitted they do not have succession plans in place. Given the ageing demographic of business owners this is a worryingly high percentage, especially as the industry continues to face uncertainty. Succession planning is a vital component for any business.”
He also said that it was a concern that more than a third of farm businesses would be drawing funds from their business to facilitate their retirement.
“They need to be sure that their businesses can afford to cover this cost,” he warned.
And despite the release of the Scottish Government’s transition proposals, Brexit was still raised as a concern by 17 per cent of respondents, but this figure was down from 25 per cent last year.
“There is no doubt that the current better selling prices have cheered the industry, but currency fluctuations and access to markets remain uncertain,” said Dandie.
“The best way of overcoming such challenges is for farm businesses to plan strategically and consider how best to support sustainability. Getting younger people into the industry is crucial to address the ageing demographic, while diversification offers an opportunity to enter new markets.”