LONDON: The UK came out of crisis talks with energy suppliers on Saturday warning that energy security was “an absolute priority”.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said there was no “cause for immediate concern” over the supply of gas despite warnings from the food industry it was on a “knife-edge”.

This week it was announced that two major British fertiliser plants are to shut, stripping food producers of the CO2 by-product that is used to stun animals before slaughter and vacuum-pack food to prolong its shelf life.

“Today, I’ve held a series of individual meetings with senior executives from the energy industry to discuss the impact of high global gas prices,” Mr Kwarteng wrote on Twitter.

“I was reassured that security of supply was not a cause for immediate concern within the industry. The UK benefits from having a diverse range of gas supply sources, with sufficient capacity to more than meet demand.