§ Sir Hector Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what monitoring has been done on Scottish lambs this year of the effect of radioactive deposition from Chernobyl.
§ Mr. RifkindA comprehensive programme of monitoring is being undertaken. The results have generally been encouraging. Throughout the greater part of the country, including the areas in Ross and Cromarty and the Uists which were subject to restriction last year, no readings in excess of 1,000 Bq/kg have been found. The average of readings throughout Scotland is 315 Bq/kg. In a number of areas, chiefly hill areas in the south-west, some higher readings have been recorded and monitoring continues in order to ensure that when lambs from these areas come to be marketed there is no risk to the food chain. In a very small number of lower ground areas, again 99W in the south-west, there are also elevated readings in lambs which are now ready for marketing and in order to ensure that only animals below 1,000 Bq/kg reach the consumer I am today making an order under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to restrict the movement and slaughter of sheep from those areas. The persistence of radioactivity would appear to be related to the availability of caesium to growing herbage in different soil types. My Department will arrange as practicable for stock to be monitored individually before they are moved and for those animals found to be above 1,000 Bq/kg a mark and release scheme will again operate so as to compensate farmers for any financial loss due to marking. A payment of £1.30 will also be made for each animal moved from a restricted area after monitoring or marking.
I am arranging for a copy of the completed monitoring results to date to be placed in the Library of the House.