Vladimir Putin accused of sending gas prices soaring so UK supermarket shelves are left BARE

VLADIMIR Putin has been accused of sending gas prices soaring, which threaten to leave supermarket shelves in the UK bare. The rise in prices of natural gas meant a knock-on effect that has led to food and drink makers warning of “chaos” as supplies to shops are in danger. ReutersVladimir Putin’s government owns Gazprom[/caption] APHigh gas prices have led to fears about bare supermarket shelves[/caption] Russia’s state-owned Gazprom supplier has been accused of “deliberate market manipulation” to send gas prices to record levels, which it has denied. That has led to a shortage of carbon dioxide, which is a by-product of fertiliser production – but fertiliser makers have been struggling with high prices. Carbon dioxide is used to stun animals and it is used during the packaging process for all meat to prolong shelf life, as well as in brewing and other food production. The closure of the two fertiliser plants has cut 60 per cent of the UK’s food-grade carbon dioxide supply, said the British Meat Processors Association. Nick Allen, the chief executive of the BMPA had emergency talks with the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the crisis. “We’ve had zero warning of the planned closure of the fertiliser plants and, as a result, it’s plunged the industry into chaos,” he said. Most read in The Sun FAMILY SLAUGHTER Boy, 15, kills his parents and sister, 13, and posts gruesome pics online A SON'S GRIEF Charles reveals the last words Prince Philip said to him on eve of his death STRICTLY NO VAXING Strictly plunged into crisis as two pro-dancers refuse Covid jabs PLUS-SIZE ORDEAL My daughter, 10, is a size 22 and I can’t find school uniform to fit her BIRTHDAY SUIT Nicola McLean poses nude to celebrate turning 40 & reveals key to sex life PICKING UP THE TAB Molly Mae 'left to sort out £400 bar tab Tommy Fury spent in nightclub' “This crisis highlights the fact that the British food supply chain is at the mercy of a small number of major fertiliser producers – four or five companies – spread across northern Europe. “We rely on a by-product from their production process to keep Britain’s food chain moving.” British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths said around 20 million birds a week are slaughtered, but abattoirs only hold a limited stock of carbon dioxide. “With fewer than 100 days to go until Christmas, and already facing mounting labour shortages, the last thing British poultry production needs is more pressure. “If CO2 supplies become tighter and more unpredictable then supply chains will have to slow down.” CHAOS FEARS The accusation about Gazprom was made by a group of 40 MEPs, who have asked the European Commission to investigate. The MEPs said they were suspicious of the company’s “effort to pressure” Europe to agree a fast launch to its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Putin has been pushing. They cited as evidence incidents including the recent reduction in Gazprom’s production and the company refusing to pump gas through existing pipelines. “All these factors allow to suspect that the record natural gas price surge in Europe in the recent weeks may be a direct result of Gazprom’s deliberate market manipulation,” they said. Nord Stream 2 has faced sanctions from the United States and criticism from other countries wary of the EU increasing its reliance on energy imports from Russia. ReutersThe high prices are part of a move to speed the approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline[/caption] We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 02077824104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks.