1. Stakeholder Views on the Implementation of Food and Agricultural Protective Actions in Ireland following a Nuclear Accident Abroad
Veronica Smith, Catherine Organo and Ciara McMahon
IAEA Conference on Global Emergency Preparedness and Response Vienna October 2015

2. Contents
Introduction and background to the stakeholder engagement process
Setting up the stakeholder engagement
Meetings and issues discussed
Outcomes regarding food and agricultural management options
Next steps

3. Ireland No nuclear facilities or research reactors
Following a nuclear accident abroad the most significant route of potential exposure would be the consumption of contaminated food
Most of the ingestion dose could be averted through the introduction of protective actions
Importance of agriculture and food to Ireland’s economy
15% of the world’s infant formula is made in Ireland
Ireland is the 5th largest exporter of beef in the world

4. PREPARE PREPARE Project
Innovative integrated tools and platforms for radiological emergency preparedness and post-accident response in Europe
Euratom for Nuclear Research and Training Activities: Fission 2013:
PREPARE
Work Package 1 - Operational procedures for long lasting releases
Work Package 2 - Platform for information collection and exchange
Work Package 3 - Management of Contaminated Goods
Work Package 4 - Atmospheric modelling
Work Package 5 - Aquatic modelling
Work Package 6 - Communication with the public
Work Package 7 - Training
Work Package 8 - Management

5. Ireland’s PREPARE WP3 Objective
To investigate the issues involved in placing Irish produced foodstuffs (meat, dairy and crops) in the marketplace (at home and abroad) following contamination from a nuclear accident abroad

6. EURANOS Food Handbook
In 2009, a multi-disciplinary group was set up to customise the EURANOS food handbook for Irish conditions – the Irish Food Handbook
This group comprised agricultural, sea fishery protection, veterinary, food safety, environmental protection and radiation protection experts.
It includes advice for farmers, food producers, distributors and retailers on agriculture and food management options. .

7. Starting Stakeholder Engagement
Used EURANOS customisation group as a starting point
Identified other stakeholder organisations that should be involved
Majority of participants had no background in radiation or radioactive contamination
All participants are either involved in emergency preparedness and response or are involved in the food industry in Ireland and have insight into food contamination issues e.g. Dioxins in pork and BSE

8. Government Departments
Organisations
Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine
Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government
Government Departments
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (now EPA Office of Radiological Protection)
Food Safety Authority of Ireland
State Agencies
Irish Farmers Association
Farming Sector
Irish Dairy Industries Association
Irish Dairy Board
Dairy Sector
Meat Industry Ireland
Meat Sector
Teagasc
Irish Grain and Feed Association
Crops Sector
Sea Fisheries Protection Agency
Seafood Sector
Tesco
Musgrave Group
Retail Sector
Consumer Association of Ireland
Consumer Sector

9. National Emergency Co-ordination Centre
Meetings
May and October 2014
Facilitator skilled in stakeholder engagement
Approx. 20 participants per meeting
First meeting – contamination of food, protective actions to reduce radioactivity in food, impact on trade
Second meeting - feasibility of various food and agricultural management options
National Emergency Co-ordination Centre

10. Agricultural Protective Actions
Provision of ammonium-ferric hexacyano-ferrate (AFCF) to dairy cows and meat producing animals to inhibit radiocaesium transfer to milk and meat by reducing absorption in the gut
Clean feeding (providing less contaminated or uncontaminated feed to animals)
Manipulation of slaughter times
Early - to minimise entry of radionuclides
Late – decay of short lived radionuclides and also in conjunction with clean feeding

11. General Outcomes
The dilution of contaminated milk exceeding EU Maximum Permitted Levels (MPLs) would not be acceptable
The use of contaminated food to make other products e.g. milk into cheese, would also never be acceptable in Ireland
Other relatively straightforward protective actions such as those on the previous slide were seen as possible provided that the concerns of the farming, food production, retail and consumer sectors are addressed

12. Key Issues – Provision of AFCF to Cattle
Sourcing and distributing AFCF
Dosage amounts – communications with farmers?
Which animals – beef/dairy, and when?
Communications with consumers re safety – food labelling
Associated costs – farmers/consumers?
Need more information – examples of when it was used effectively in past
Panel not convinced that this option would be acceptable to public

13. Key Issues – Clean feeding
Availability - particularly April to June (more animals) and after long winter
Logistics of acquiring feed – dependent on location and magnitude of accident
Preparedness – storage space, space for housing all animals
Which animals and for how long – who decides (farmer or government)?
Associated costs – farmers/consumers
Live monitoring by veterinary inspectors – logistics
Positive perception – clean and natural – more acceptable to consumers

14. Key Issues – Manipulation of Slaughter Times
Time of year and age of animals
Plant capacity, over production and storage
Associated costs – farmers/consumers
Communications with farmers
Live monitoring by veterinary inspectors – logistics
Labelling
Positive perception – clean and natural – more acceptable to consumers

15. Next Steps PREPARE WP3 final workshop in November in Paris
Ireland’s National Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents is currently undergoing a review and it will be important to ensure that the issues arising from this stakeholder engagement are covered in the revised plan
Revised plan will be presented to the stakeholder group for discussion
Ireland is participating in INEX5 – good opportunity to test the revised plan – stakeholders from this process will be included in the exercise
Irish Food Handbook should also be reviewed