Burnham
Britain’s new Farming Minister fainted after being shown a room packed with beef, it has been claimed. Stephen Morgan allegedly took a funny turn after stepping inside a refrigerated storage unit with shelves full of meat.
Mr Morgan said he “felt unwell” during his visit to the food processing plant in the Lake District, without confirming he fainted. The minister has been on a tour of farms and suppliers across the country since being appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham last month. One local farmer, with knowledge of the purported incident, said Mr Morgan had been shown large cuts of beef and some steaks before he “felt faint”.
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The farmer added the minister reported feeling unwell and that he needed a “moment”.
He told The Sun “it’s not a great look” for the Farming Minister to “faint at the sight of meat”.
However, the Portsmouth South MP denied this was the case and insisted his wobble was related to a shift in temperature.
Mr Morgan told The Sun: “I felt unwell moving between the extreme heat and cold storage, and I’m grateful to all the staff at Lake District Farmers.
“Hats off to the brilliant people working in these conditions and temperatures to keep the nation fed.”
Mr Burnham has sought to mend Labour’s relations with the farming industry after a fierce row over inheritance tax changes proposed under Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.
The Prime Minister, who visited a family-run farm in Cornwall on Saturday, said the Government has a “long way to go to build back trust” with farmers.
He added Britain needs to “guarantee our own food production going forward”.
A day earlier, he unveiled a £65million funding package for farmers amid fears the recent hot and dry weather could drive up food prices on supermarket shelves.
Food producers have been facing a multitude of challenges in recent weeks as large areas of the country experience a series of heatwaves, little rainfall and drought.
Many have been forced to harvest crops early, while others are seeing lower yields and lower quality produce, following the driest July on record.