CO2 shortage threatens to dry up UK beer supply

Producers of products such as beer, carbonated drinks and meat are feeling the pressure this summer, warning on Wednesday that a lack of CO2 could cause product shortages.

Brigid Simmonds, the head of the British beer and pub association, said the issue has already stopped production in some cases, and has written to CO2 suppliers requesting a solution to the shortage.

"You could have foreseen this. We've got the World Cup, which is as exciting in Germany as it is here. Quite why they didn't anticipate this, I don't know," said Simmonds.

With the 2018 World Cup underway, demand for beer and fizzy drinks is peaking as fans gather to watch the matches.

The British Soft Drinks Association said: "Soft drinks producers in the UK are taking active steps to maintain their service to customers including working with their suppliers to mitigate the impact as well as looking at alternative sources."

No specific brewers or drinks producers have been named as having trouble with the current shortage but at least 82% of beer drunk in the UK is also produced here, with CO2 required for the process.

The gas is also used in packing fresh meat and salads, as well as the slaughtering process for some animals.

The pressure appears to stem from the fact that many ammonia plants, that produce CO2 and fertiliser, shut down for maintenance work in the summer months after dealing with high demand for fertiliser over winter.

Indeed, five CO2 producers in Northern Europe are currently down for maintenance, according to Gasworld.

The publication added that drink producers are now "desperate" amid the worst CO2 crisis in decades.