26 years????

[Nicos]

BBC News - Post-Chernobyl disaster sheep controls lifted on last UK farms


Poor farmers- what an awful long wait.

I'll certainly be buying Cumbrian/Welsh lamb next time we're over there.

[Bigmallly]

A long time in coming but good news.

[marchogaeth]

Yes, one of the best kept "open secrets"; the disposal of many, many sheep over the years because the grass they were eating was still radio active and they couldn't go into the food chain. (This article doesn't mention this but it has happened. This only talks aboout the abolishing of the holding for testing regime - it doesn't say what happened to sheep that failed the caesium test.)

Even if you get market price, no one (ok that's challebgable - I don't know any farmer who) wants to raise animals for the sake of having them killed and not used for human consumption. It must have been soul destrying.

[Alison]

Was in the middle of my O'level revision at the time - makes me feel old when you mention it was that long ago!

[dominic10]

Like the brave rescuers on 9/11 who went back into burning buildings to rescue people, and all the other brave people who put others before themselves, I remember the brave people who did their best to minimise the effects of this disaster and who gave their lives when 10 minutes exposure meant certain extremely painful death. I'm surprised it's only 26 years given the half-life of radioactive material and it's cumulative effects. And yes I am well aware of the beneficial effects of radioactivity in diagnosing illnesses and treating cancer. The farmers and sheep were the innocent victims but we hear little nowadays of the ordinary folk in the immediate and the surrounding areas whose lives were devastated by this disaster. And what of their animals?

[Feral007]

I was in the UK just after this happened. Altho I travelled a little bit up that way wasn't exposed to much for long, but we did think about that.
And then because I was over there for the Mad Cow time I'm still unable to give blood.

The long term effects on the people who live/d in the region are not just medical. Whole family traditions will have been disrupted. ;(

[RedThorn]

Can think of a few people on here who would comfortably wear the title of mad cows....

On a serious note though, it's sad the impact it's had on a load of people over the many years...

[Aberdeenplotter]

The restrictions have been lifted but is the radio activity gone and are the sheep still radio active? Granite contains high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays.
It's possible that the meat from sheep from these areas has always been naturally radio active and always will be. Geiger counters should be available at the Butchery department of every store

[marchogaeth]

It's possible that the meat from sheep from these areas has always been naturally radio active and always will be.

If I remeber correctly from my time at MAFF there were clear demarcation lines depending on the amount of rainfall that farms receieved in the aftermath. Also there was a problem with the grass taht had been silaged over that weekend being fed.

Was in the middle of my O'level revision at the time - makes me feel old when you mention it was that long ago!

And you make me feel ancient - O levels!! (They were but a distant memory even then.)