LONDON In a new twist to the British food crisis, the Agriculture Minister, Mr Douglas Hogg, was forced on the defensive again yesterday, writes Rachel Borrill. He had to make a second emergency House of Commons statement in less than a week to deny accusations that he had ignored warnings over falling abattoir standards.
As senior Tories privately admit that Mr Hogg cannot be sacked because it would further embarrass the government in the run up to the general election, the Prime Minister, Mr Major, ordered a full written report into this latest row over food standards.
Amid repeated calls for his resignation, Mr Hogg insisted in his Commons statement that hygiene standards in abattoirs had improved during the last 18 months and the "drive up" will now be increased.
The Shadow Agriculture Minister, Dr Gavin Strang, accused Mr Hogg of incompetence, stating the British public had no confidence in him. The Liberal Democrat spokesman, Mr Paul Tyler, called for an immediate public inquiry into the industry.