(Bloomberg) --

Britain’s carbon-dioxide industry struck another deal to avert potential shortages of the gas that’s crucial to the food and drink sector.

The agreement will allow CF Industries Holdings Inc.’s Billingham fertilizer plant -- which produces CO2 as a byproduct -- to continue operating while natural gas prices remain high, the government said Tuesday. The nation’s food and drink sector had faced a crisis last year when the energy crunch forced CF to shutter two plants, before deals were reached to keep output going.

CO2 is used across the food and drink supply chain, including stunning pigs and chickens for slaughter, extending the shelf life of fresh food and giving beer and soda their fizz. CF produces about 60% of the U.K.’s commercial supply. 

The Food and Drink Federation, which had warned that disruptions to operations would risk causing shortages of some foods if a deal that expired at the end of January wasn’t extended, welcomed the new accord.

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