"Nuclear Accidents and the Farmer"

Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture, Fisheries and Food – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 27 April 1989.

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Photo of John Home Robertson John Home Robertson , East Lothian 12:00, 27 April 1989

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the distribution of his Department's leaflet entitled "Nuclear Accidents and the Farmer".

Photo of Mr Richard Ryder Mr Richard Ryder , Mid Norfolk

Our initial distribution was to holdings in England in the vicinity of the major nuclear installations. Large numbers of copies have also been distributed at meetings held by my officials and in response to individual requests. Distribution has been carried out principally through my Department's regional organisation and further copies remain available free of charge on request.

Photo of John Home Robertson John Home Robertson , East Lothian

We welcome the realistic advice in the leaflets and the acknowledgement that nuclear accidents can cause serious long-term disruption of food production. Is the Minister satisfied that the £20 million third party insurance carried by nuclear generating companies is adequate? How could a Downing street seminar advocate further nuclear power proliferation on the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, which took place 1,200 miles away but is still affecting more than 400,000 acres of British farmland three years later?

Photo of Mr Richard Ryder Mr Richard Ryder , Mid Norfolk

European Commission documents show conclusively that the British Government's response to the Chernobyl incident was prompter and more comprehensive than that of other Governments in western Europe. Furthermore, the excellent leaflets to which the hon. Gentleman refers have been widely welcomed not only by farmers' organisations but by all those people who live in the vicinity of a nuclear site. [Interruption.] I am pleased to say, as the hon. Member for East Lothian (Mr. Home Robertson) refers to himself, that the leaflets willl soon be available in Scotland and in Wales.

Photo of Martyn Jones Martyn Jones , Clwyd South West

May I remind the Minister that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report said that the British Government's reaction to Chernobyl was the worst of the nine countries concerned and that the Select Committee on Agriculture, of which I was a member, made the same point in its report, referred to the inadequacy of the compensation and highlighted various other matters that the Minister has neglected to recall?

Photo of Mr Richard Ryder Mr Richard Ryder , Mid Norfolk

The hon. Gentleman is quite wrong. The Select Committee on Agriculture, of which he was a member, did not say that our response was worse than that of other countries in Europe. On the contrary, the Select Committee report showed conclusively that the British Government's response had been prompter and more comprehensive than that of most other Governments in western Europe.