Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any restrictions exist in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland on upland farms contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986.

Jane Ellison

I have been asked to reply.

There are no longer any restrictions in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland on upland farms contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) previously restricted the movement of sheep in certain upland areas to prevent sheep with higher levels of contamination entering the food chain. Over time, controls were removed where the evidence showed they were no longer necessary. All remaining controls were lifted in Northern Ireland in 2000, in Scotland in 2010 and in Wales in 2012. Similarly, the final controls in England were lifted in 2012.

Information on the historic controls and the decision to remove restrictions can be found on the FSA website:

www.food.gov.uk/science/research/radiologicalresearch/radiosurv/chernobyl/