§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the time it will take before the radioactive products from the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl will be reduced to a level to permit normal hill farming to resume.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsIt is not possible to estimate how long radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident will require those hill farms within the restricted area in Wales to remain subject to controls on the sale and movement of their sheep. Our "mark and release" arrangements and associated compensation payments are designed to ensure minimum disruption to normal farming practices.
Following an intensive monitoring programme my right hon. Friend was able to announce in January this year the lifting of controls from an area near Harlech in Gwynedd. We are continuing with our monitoring and assessment programmes in the remaining restricted area with a view to lifting controls as soon as it is possible to do so without comprising food safety.