Defra officials have asked leading figures in the food and farming industry about the impact on the nation’s food supplies in the event of a blackout this winter.
The energy crisis could trigger an electricity blackout and gas shortages in the coming months, according to scenario planning undertaken by government officials in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Officials mapped out a “reasonable worst-case scenario”, which could see an extreme drop-off in UK energy supply this winter, a report by Bloomberg News revealed.
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Under this outlook, below-average temperatures coupled with reduced electricity imports from Norway and France could expose four days in January when the UK may need to trigger emergency measures to conserve gas, the report said.
Defra has contacted industry groups to gauge what effect a blackout could have on food supplies to supermarket shelves.
Played down
But a spokesman for the government agency played down the likelihood of this happening.
A Defra spokesperson said: “This is not something we expect to happen. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response, and we engage extensively with stakeholders across the whole food supply chain to ensure we are ready for all eventualities, even the ones we don’t expect to happen.
“The UK’s secure and diverse energy supplies will ensure households, businesses and industry can be confident they can get the electricity and gas they need.”
Defra officials regularly speak with food suppliers and manufacturers about a whole range of unlikely risks. It insists ongoing contingency planning is one reasons why food supplies are so secure, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response.
The Defra spokesman said the scenario of blackouts is unlikely as the UK is not dependent on Russian energy imports unlike Europe, adding: “With access to our own North Sea gas reserves, steady imports from reliable partners, the second largest LNG port infrastructure in Europe, and a gas supply underpinned by robust legal contracts, meaning households, businesses and industry can be confident they will get the electricity and gas they need.”
