Mudchute Farm stops produce sales over soil issue

By John Hill on November 25, 2009 2:07 PM |

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Mudchute Park and Farm will stop selling produce while the council tests its soil for contaminants.

The Mudchute Kitchen will temporarily cease selling the farm's produce and grazing will be restricted while the soil is checked, although health chiefs believe it is "not likely" that the tests will throw up any immediate health risks.

The council claims it discovered lead in the soil during a recent survey, and identified "small numbers of contaminants" during later sampling at 15 locations across Mudchute Farm, Park and Allotments. It says these pose "low level risk", and it has been assured by the Health Protection Agency that they are "not likely to present any immediate health risks".

The authority claims it has a responsibility to identify areas of possible contamination under the Environment Protection Act 1990, and maintains the historical use of the land for "dock dredgings" marked it out as a likely site.

A joint statement from the Park and Farm, the HPA, NHS Tower Hamlets and Tower Hamlets Council said: "The HPA has also advised that even if land is found to have raised levels of chemicals, this does not necessarily mean that users of the land have actually been exposed to them and does not automatically mean that the chemicals in the soil will have an impact on their health.

"To further assess the elevated levels identified at the site, the council is undertaking investigative works which will provide further information about health risks and whether there is a need for more work or remediation. These results will be processed as quickly as possible."

It added that "as a precautionary measure, in accordance with guidance from the Food Standards Agency, for the time being food produce sales on the site will also stop and animal grazing will be restricted".