Farming's challenge to feed nation
Already dealing with a shortage of lorry drivers, the food and farming industry now faces another crisis.
The fertiliser sector’s heading for a “perfect storm” created by the surge in gas prices to near record levels. A shortage of carbon dioxide could mean farmers face the prospect of having to destroy their animals en masse.
Fertiliser plants use gas to produce ammonium nitrate which is used in agriculture to support crop yields, but also produce food-grade carbon dioxide.
We could not have foreseen the combined impact of the pandemic and Brexit – opening our eyes to a scenario where reliance on home grown food was easier to imagine. Now the prospect of empty supermarket shelves continues to become a reality. Our farmers are always resolute and determined, but the challenges they face can be torturous.
It is easy to take our food for granted – we must celebrate and support our British farmers.
Keith Fowles is the owner of KLF Insurance Brokers.
