Labour blasted as UK left susceptible to meals shortages after CO2 plant closed

Labour has been accused of leaving Britain ‘vulnerable’ following the closure of a plant that could help prevent food shortages.

Leaked government analysis warned of gaps on supermarket shelves if the Iran conflict leads to a lack of carbon dioxide (CO2), after weeks of shipping disruption through the Strait of Hormuz.

The gas has a range of purposes, from stunning pigs and chickens before slaughter, to making drinks fizzy, and prolonging the shelf-life of packaged foods.

It has even sparked fears that beer could run out during this summer’s football World Cup.

Ministers are now under fire after Britain’s largest bioethanol plant was killed off by crippling red tape and the US trade deal.

The Vivergo site in Hull – one of two such plants in the UK – was a crucial source of CO2, which is produced as part of the bioethanol making process.

Closed down: The Vivergo site in Hull was a crucial source of CO2, which is produced as part of the bioethanol making process

Its owner, Associated British Foods, warned ministers as far back as May of the threat to CO2 production and the UK’s ‘strategically vital bioethanol industry’.

But the plant ceased production in August after the Government said it would not provide financial support.

It followed Keir Starmer’s trade deal with Donald Trump, which removed 19pc tariffs on US-imported ethanol – leaving UK producers facing fresh competition.

It was one of the concessions made by the UK in a trade pact that is now fraying at the seams.

With the Iran war threatening CO2 supplies, ABF Sugar’s chief executive Paul Kenward said: ‘We argued closing our UK bioethanol site would make us overly reliant on imports and be detrimental to energy security.

‘Vivergo was closed because of the UK regulatory environment and then the direct impact of the US trade deal. As a result, we lost a secure, domestic energy source. This could be more valuable now than ever.’

Tory business spokesman Andrew Griffith said: ‘The Government was warned about the impact on food security when the Vivergo plant was closing but chose to do nothing. This industrial vandalism has left the UK vulnerable to shortages.’