Dounreay fishing ban to stay, says food agency

Published on Wednesday 11 March 2009 20:50

A BAN on seafood coming from an area near the Dounreay nuclear site is to stay in place, following a Food Standards Agency review.

The restriction, preventing the removal of fish and shellfish from a 2km exclusion zone, was imposed in 1997 after the discovery of radioactive particles on the seabed.

The order, under the Food and Environment Protection Act, was to ensure any seafood contaminated by irradiated nuclear fuel did not enter the food chain.

Last year, Dounreay began work using remotely operated vehicles to remove the worst of the particles that have caused concern for more than quarter of a century.

Up to 25 million will be spent on covering an area the size of 60 football pitches and on monitoring up to the 2020s.

The FSA examined the existing ban in light of the work, but concluded that the restricted area should remain in place while the work on the seabed is going on and be reviewed once it is complete.

The agency said that, with the restrictions in place, the risk to food safety remains extremely small.