§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the maximum permitted becquerel levels in different foodstuffs on food produced in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) the European Community and (c) Third world countries (i) in 1988 and (ii) currently; whether he has plans to change these levels; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerIn 1986, as a result of the Chernobyl accident, a limit of 1,000 becquerels of radiocaesium per kilogramme was introduced in the United Kingdom for home-produced sheepmeat. This remains the current limit.
In the event of a future nuclear accident, the levels which would automatically apply to food produced throughout the European Community were established in Council regulation (Euratom) No. 3954/87. These maxima still apply today, supplemented by Council regulation (Euratom) 2218/87, and are given in the table.
Guidance on similar levels to be applied to food traded internationally was promulgated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in July 1989.
No changes are envisaged in the above position.
89W
Foodstuffs (becquerels per kilogramme) Baby foods Dairy produce Other foodstuffs except minor food-stuffs1 Liquid foodstuffs Isotopes of strontium, notably Sr-90 75 125 750 125 Isotopes of iodine, notably I-131 150 500 2,000 500 Alpha-emitting isotopes of plutonium and transplutonium elements, notably Pu-239 Am-241 1 20 80 20 All other nuclides of half-life greater than 10 days, notably Cs-134, Cs-137 400 1,000 1,250 1,000 1 For minor foodstuffs as defined in Commission Regulation (Euratom) No. 944/89, the maximum permitted levels to be applied are 10 times those applicable to "other foodstuffs except minor foodstuffs".