news, federal-politics

Two bites was all it took. On a trip to a produce farm in Tasmania, Prime Minister Tony Abbott shocked onlookers - and in short order, the rest of the world - when he bit into a raw onion, skin and all. Now, Onions Australia chief executive Lechelle Earl is travelling to Canberra to thank the Prime Minister for sparking a mini-boom in inquiries about the humble vegetable. And Ms Earl plans to deliver a thank you package to Mr Abbott - a basket of raw onions, and a "top-secret" onion-themed meal "just in case the PM decides to try his onions in a slightly more prepared manner". Ms Earl has spent the past five years of her life living and breathing onions - she says she is "passionate about the industry" - but she's never seen anything like the level of interest in the slightly smelly vegetable since Mr Abbott's fateful bite. "I was genuinely surprised but thrilled that Mr Abbott decided to bite into a whole, unpeeled, good quality onion. More people should do it," she said, hastily adding that "personally, I would take the skin off". "Onions Australia's phone has been running hot since the Prime Minister was seen eating a raw onion. We are more than willing to talk to anyone who wants to talk to us about the health benefits of our onions." "People are interested, asking if they can be eaten whole and people are also querying why the Prime Minister left the skin on - which I put down to personal choice. There has been national and international media interest too. Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce will also get an onion basket, on Thursday, when Ms Earl attends a horticulture industry forum in Parliament House. "Given I was going to be in Canberra, I thought I would take the opportunity to thank the Prime Minister in person," she said. Mr Abbott, for his part, was still facing questions about his onion choice on Wednesday. "I thought it was very important that I should show my support for the great products that the Tasmanian agricultural industry produces and, you know, I enjoy onions. I normally have them cooked on the barbecue, but I enjoy onions!" Follow us on Twitter Follow James Massola on Facebook.

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