HL Deb 08 May 2001 vol 625 cc179-80WA
Lord Greaves

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which bodies are responsible for monitoring airbourne pollution from burning dead animals during the current foot and mouth outbreak; what resources are being devoted to such monitoring; and whether they are satisfied there is no resulting health impact. [HL1759]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Witty)

For individual sources of pollution which exist in many areas of the country it is common to adopt an approach which is based primarily upon modelling of impacts, rather than direct measurement (monitoring). Such modelling takes into account emissions from the source and other factors such as local topography and metereology (predominantly windspeed and direction).

This approach has been followed during the current foot and mouth epidemic. The work has been conducted by, or on behalf of, DETR, the Environment Agency and where relevant the devolved administrations and devolved bodies.

Detailed monitoring has been undertaken at some individual sites where carcasses are being burnt in order to verify the modelling work. But the detailed monitoring can be translated into levels of some key pollutants such as dioxins after up to two weeks of analysis.

Further continuous monitoring has been undertaken in some sensitive locations, close to pyres, to offer reassurance to the local population.

Due to the exceptional nature of the foot and mouth outbreak, all modelling and monitoring work has been progressed to tight timetables, and it has not been possible to estimate the precise resources involved as yet.

Any combustion process emits pollution which has the potential to cause detrimental effects on health. We are satisfied that the risks to public health from burning of animal carcasses during the foot and mouth outbreak have been of a low order of magnitude.

Lord Cathie of Berriew

asked Her Majesty's Government:

On how many occasions the position of a foot and mouth animal burning site has been moved as a result of intervention by the Environment Agency; and whether they will set out the principles which determine the positioning of such a site in the event of disagreement among the interested parties. [HL1935]

Lord Whitty

The Environment Agency provides specialist technical support on air quality and has a statutory role in authorising sites under the Groundwater Regulations 1998. For this reason it is involved from the early stages in the location of disposal sites and, as a result of influencing the choice of sites in this way, its subsequent intervention to move a selected site should not be necessary. The Environment Agency's advice has been drawn on in guidance recently issued by the Department of Health which sets out measures to minimise the risk to public health from disposal sites, and the agency has issued guidance on the protection of ground and surface waters at disposal sites.