Radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster in Russia that had occurred in April 1986 had forced a ban on the slaughter of lambs in three areas of Northern Ireland, it was reported during this week in 1987, more than a year on from the disaster.

The Department of Agriculture had confirmed that the ban would be but stressed there was no danger in the levels of radioactivity levels in sheep already slaughtered in the province.

The ban was to take affect sheep in the Glenshane and Belraugh areas of Co Londonderry and at Glenwherry in Co Antrim.

A spokesman for the department did no said say how many sheep would be affected, but said the level of radioactivity in lambs tested had been found above the 1,000 becquerel per kilogram level – the maximum reading allowed before action had to be taken to control the movement and slaughter of farm animals.

At the start of October 1993, Saville Tractors showed off their comprehensive range of new products at their new premises in Hillsborough at a special open day which attracted a large crowd of interested customers. Visitors to Saville’s open day get a close-up view of the all-new Merlo P20.6SC in action at the company’s new Hillsborough premises. Picture: Farming Life archives/Darryl Armitage

placeholder image — At the start of October 1993, Saville Tractors showed off their comprehensive range of new products at their new premises in Hillsborough at a special open day which attracted a large crowd of interested customers. Visitors to Saville’s open day get a close-up view of the all-new Merlo P20.6SC in action at the company’s new Hillsborough premises. Picture: Farming Life archives/Darryl Armitage

Sheep which had already found to be affected were likely to be slaughtered and their carcases destroyed.

Similar bans had already been imposed in other areas of the United Kingdom, particularly Scotland and north Wales, where fallout from radioactive clouds was found to have contaminated thousands of acres of grazing land.

Farmers affected by the fallout are to be told individually by the department of what controls will be imposed in their areas.

The department said the on-farm surveys, which were continuing, had been ordered as “an extra precaution”.

“This survey confirms that in general in Northern Ireland lamb not yet marketed will present no difficulties,” the spokesman said.

“The marketed lamb presents no health problems. It continues to show non-detectable, or a few very low readings.”

After the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986 a radioactive cloud swept across Europe and the United Kingdom.

In May 1986 Northern Ireland was declared safe after readings across the province showed “insignificant” levels of fallout.

However, at the same time Dublin scientist, Dr Ian McAulay, senior lecturer in physics at Trinity College, claimed Ireland was more affected by fallout from Chernobyl than the whole of Britain.

According to expert analysis, a person who ate the average 5kg of lamb a year, all at 1000 bq/kg (the maximum levels recorded in Northern Ireland) they would receive the equivalent of one X-ray.