co2 Shortage Exposes Hypocrisy

How The Shortage Of Carbon Dioxide In The UK Exposed The Hypocrisy Of The Farming Industry

Photo by Diego San on Unsplash

There’s been a lot in the news lately about the co2 shortage in the UK and how it’s affecting farmers. co2 is produced as a biproduct during the manufacture of fertiliser. The UK’s two main fertiliser plants, in Teesside and Cheshire, have ceased production due to a steep rise in wholesale gas prices. As a result, there is a nationwide shortage of co2.

How is this affecting farmers?

In UK abattoirs, all animals are supposed to be stunned, by law, prior to slaughter. There are exceptions for certain religious practices and there are also many millions of animals who are not adequately stunned due to workers ‘processing’ them too quickly, incorrect practices, faulty machinery, etc. but those things aside, the law says that animals need to be stunned prior to having their throats slit.

This is supposed to make the whole slaughter process more ‘humane’ and reduce suffering for the animals.

The Hypocrisy Of The Farming Industry

One of the commonest ways to stun pigs, chickens and turkeys before slaughter is by placing them in gas chambers filled with co2 until they lose consciousness. Concentrated…