Britain’s meat industry on Friday warned that an upcoming shortage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) could cause massive disruption (中断) to food supplies within two weeks.

The gas is used to stun (昏迷) animals before being killed, in the vacuum packing of food products to extend their shelf life, and to put the fizz into beer, cider and soft drinks.It is also required for some medical procedures and used in the nuclear and semi-conductor industries.

Britain’s food supply chain, already suffering from a severe shortage of heavy goods vehicles (HGV) drivers and the impact of Brexit and COVID-19, is heavily reliant on fertiliser producers for CO₂ which is a by-product of their production process. However, two of the largest fertiliser producers, Norway’s Yara YAR.OL and rival CF Industries Holdings CF.N, have restrained production due to a sudden increase in natural gas prices, which has in turn started to dry up CO₂ supplies.

Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), said that once current stocks of the gas run out, some meat companies will have to stop taking animals and close production lines, leading to a logjam of animals back to the farms. “We already have this situation in the pig industry which is now facing the disruption prospect of a humane killing on farms,” he said.The BMPA is persuading Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng to help support UK CO₂ production in the short term.

“We are monitoring this situation closely and are in regular contact with the food and farming organizations and industry, to help them manage the current situation,” said a UK government spokesperson.“The UK benefits from having access to highly diverse sources of gas supply to ensure households, businesses and heavy industry get the energy they need at a fair price.”

【小题1】What’s the direct cause of the CO₂ shortage this year?

A．A government policy.	B．An infectious disease.
C．Transportation failure.	D．Cost rise.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “logjam” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Bottleneck.

B．Promise.

C．Failure.

D．Recovery.

【小题3】What measure may the UK government take?

A．To close production lines.

B．To stop marketing animals.

C．To limit the drinks wholesale.

D．To explore more gas supplies.

【小题4】What may be the suitable title for the passage?

A．Diverse Applications of CO2

B．CO2 Shortage Hit Food Supplies

C．Efforts Taken to Produce CO2

D．The Future of Britain’s Meat Industry