§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total cost to the United Kingdom of the Chernobyl accident on 26 April 1986. [27096]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe main economic effect to the United Kingdom of the Chernobyl accident has been on the UK sheep industry. The introduction of sheep controls on certain areas of upland grazing land contaminated by radioactive fallout from Chernobyl has been mitigated by the introduction of the sheep compensation scheme. This was introduced in July 1986 to compensate farmers whose enterprises had been disrupted as a consequence of the sheep controls. To date, more than £12 million has been paid to farmers who were affected. The compensation has been primarily to recompense farmers for the inconvenience of controls; payments for market losses have been comparatively small.