Post-Chernobyl Monitoring and Controls: Scotland

Tuesday 11 April 2006

Following the Chernobyl accident in 1986, restrictions under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 were placed on the movement, sale and supply of sheep in areas of the United Kingdom where contamination levels in sheep meat could potentially cause a risk to public health.

In Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, summer surveys of farms placed under restrictions following the Chernobyl accident have been carried out since 1993 to assess whether restrictions could be removed.

As of January 2006, one farm was released from restrictions following a whole flock test in summer 2005. This leaves ten farms totalling approximately 13,600 sheep under restrictions in Scotland.

This report summarises the basis of the de-restriction surveys and presents the results of surveys undertaken since the Agency's inception in 2000.