§ 24. Mr. SkinnerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that the farms in Bolsover, north Derbyshire, are now free from dioxin contamination.
§ Mrs. BrowningWhen the problem of dioxin contamination was first discovered, the Ministry undertook that it would monitor dioxins in the milk from farms in the Bolsover area for as long as was necessary. Further samples of cows' milk taken this July from these farms were found to contain dioxins at levels similar to those in samples taken last year. These results indicate that the Bolsover area remains largely free from unacceptable levels of dioxins, other than from the farm previously found to be the most heavily contaminated. This finding is not unexpected as dioxins are known to be very long lived. I have placed the full details of these latest findings in the Library.