LONDON (Reuters) – Some of Britain’s meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide within five days, forcing them to halt production, the head of the industry’s lobby group warned on Monday.

A rise in gasoline prices has driven many domestic energy suppliers out business. Fertilizer plants that produce CO2 have also been shut down. This is used to kill animals and extend the shelf life of food.

A shortage in CO2, which is also what makes beer, cider, and soft drinks fizzy, has led to an acute shortage in truck drivers across the UK. This has been blamed for the effects of COVID-19, Brexit, and other factors.

Sky News’ Nick Allen from the British Meat Processors Association said that his members were saying they have five, ten or fifteen days of supply.

He said that a meat processor can’t operate without CO2.

Allen stated that the animals must remain on farms. They’ll create huge problems for farmers and cause a lot of welfare issues. Then, British pork and British poultry would disappear from the shelves.

Two weeks are left before we see any real changes on the shelves. The poultry supply is even less so they might disappear sooner.

Allen indicated that the government was trying to solve the issue. He could persuade UK fertilizer producers to restart their plants.

British Retail Consortium (BRC), which is a group representing major retailers, stated that the current pressures on distribution and production were increased by the CO2 crisis.

“Retailers are working with their suppliers to resolve this issue, but government must investigate this issue as soon as possible and work with industry to ensure a solution is found quickly and problems don’t escalate further,” said Andrew Opie, the BRC’s director of food and sustainability.

James Cleverly, Foreign Office minister, stated that government would address immediate shortages.

Sky News was told by Cleverly that they would ensure food is on the table.