Introduction
On 26th April 1986, an accident occurred at a nuclear power station at Chernobyl in the Ukraine releasing a plume of radioactivity that travelled across Europe. Certain areas of the UK received high levels of deposition of radionuclides where the plume coincided with areas of high rainfall.
Following the accident, restrictions under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) were placed on the sale, movement and slaughter of sheep in the affected areas, to ensure that no sheepmeat exceeding the action level of 1000 Becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg) was available for human consumption.
Since the accident, the areas under restriction have been reduced as activity levels have dropped. In Scotland, 7 farms are subject to restrictions. Surveys ('derestriction surveys') have taken place at restricted farms since the early 1990's to identify when the radiocaesium levels in the sheep have fallen to acceptable levels (i.e. all the sheep on the farm show levels of radiocaesium below the 1000 Bq/kg limit). If this is the case, the farm can be released from restriction by amending the relevant FEPA Order. Farms are compensated for their trouble and loss of income through the Chernobyl Sheep Compensation Scheme.
Chernobyl Sheep Compensation Scheme
There are two parts to the Compensation Scheme:
Mark and Release Compensation: Producers who present their sheep to the monitor and/or have the sheep marked before consent to move them is issued will be eligible to claim compensation of £1.30 for each sheep monitored/marked and moved under consent.
Loss of Income Compensation: Eligible sheep farmers can apply for compensation for any market losses incurred on marked animals sold at auction and liveweight certification centres under the mark and release arrangements.
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