Lord attacks sanitised Blair farm visit

10 February 2000



Lord attacks ‘sanitised’ Blair farm visit

LORD Glentoran rounded on Tony Blair in the House of Lords on Wednesday (09 February) with a description of the Prime Ministers visit to the south west last week as a “sanitised public relations stunt”.

He said Blair was prevented from seeing the crisis the industry is facing.

Junior agriculture minister Baroness Hayman rebutted the criticism, saying Mr Blair had spoken to many farmers to collect first-hand experience of what was taking place in the industry.

Baroness Byford argued that pig farmers would soon become extinct if something was not done about their predicament.

• Brown attack – what the papers say, FWi, 03 February, 2000
• Blair snubs south-west farmers, FWi, 03 February, 2000
• Blair promised rough ride at NFU, FWi, 31 January, 2000
  
• The Daily Telegraph 10/02/2000 page 12