HC Deb 16 December 1992 vol 216 cc241-2W
Mrs. Currie

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further information he has relating to the incident involving dioxin in Derbyshire; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer

I am very pleased to announce that it is now possible to lift the order under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 placed in March on a farm near Bolsover restricting its agricultural activities because of the presence of unacceptable concentrations of dioxins in milk and meat. Since this problem first became apparent in early 1991, my Department has undertaken extensive studies to investigate the extent and nature of the problem. The Department has already published two major reports giving the details of its investigations and I am pleased to announce that a further report is published today. The results in this latest report show that dioxin concentrations in meat from animals on this farm and milk from two dairy farms nearby have fallen significantly to levels which mean that these foods from the farms are safe to consume.

This announcement is possible following a full assessment of the results and I am placing a report in the Library of the House. The key findings in the report are:

  • the dioxins concentrations in the milk samples obtained in August and October from the two dairy farms are below the Maximum Tolerable Concentration previously set by the Ministry and Department of Health;
  • the dioxin concentrations in both muscle and liver for animals on the farm on which the FEPA Order had been placed have fallen significantly to levels similar to those found in animals from other farmers;
  • the dioxins in soil samples from the farm show little change but concentrations in the herbage have fallen considerably.

These results are very encouraging, but my Department will continue to carry out some monitoring in the area to ensure that there is no recurrence of the problem. This incident also demonstrates the ability of the food surveillance programme undertaken by my Department o identify problems of chemical contamination of the food supply and our determination to ensure the fullest possible protection of the public.

At the same time, I pay tribute to the farmers whose livelihood and peace of mind have been greatly disturbed by this incident. I am very grateful for the co-operation that they have shown my Department throughout what has been a very difficult period for them.