Boris Johnson praises "hard work" of farmers on another visit to Cornwall
The Prime Minister has topped courgettes and helped to sort broccoli at a vegetable farm near Hayle
Last updated 13th Jun 2022
Just days after making an unannounced visit to the Royal Cornwall Show, Boris Johnson is back in Cornwall.
The Prime Minister visited a brassica farm near Hayle run by Southern England Farms and, after sorting broccoli, said farm staff are doing "hard work".
Wearing a white coat and hat in the chilled hall, the PM was shown how to gather a bunch of long-stem broccoli, trim the ends and weigh it.
"Oh, it’s way short", he said of his bunch as he placed it on the scale, reaching to add more stems.
"How do you keep your hands warm?" Mr Johnson asked, to which a plant worker replied: "Speed".
After asking where the workers came from, Boris Johnson was told many are from Lithuania and Ukraine, with more due to arrive from the war-torn country.
After laying broccoli crowns on to a conveyor belt to be wrapped in plastic, he said: "It's a lot of work".
Mr Johnson also helped pickers harvest courgettes and was photographed being shown how to 'top' them.
The Prime Minister's visit comes as he prepares to set out England's first ever national food strategy.
The strategy, being published on Monday, is in response to a major review of our food system by Leon restaurant co-founder Henry Dimbleby.
Ministers are aiming to strengthen the resilience of the nation’s supply chains and increase domestic production, so "we will grow and eat more of our own food", to help guard against future economic shocks and crises.
The Prime Minister said it sets out how the Government will support farmers, boost British industry and safeguard food security.
But ministers have been accused of concocting a blueprint "bordering on the preposterous", apparently shunning key recommendations from Mr Dimbleby’s review.
A leaked draft of the strategy, published by The Guardian on Friday, caused a stir when it appeared to reveal calls for a sugar and salt reformulation tax, along with a suggestion that the budget for farmer payments should be guaranteed until 2029, had been ignored.
Environment Secretary and Duchy MP, George Eustice, has defended the strategy: "The food industry is bigger than the automotive and aerospace industries combined, offering employment opportunities, apprenticeships and investment in research and development.
"The strategy we are setting out today will increase the focus on skills in the food sector, and the roles and career pathways available. In particular, we will seek to boost our horticulture industry and ensure the expertise needed to develop the sector here in the UK".