A UK Government-funded study by Professor Nicola Cherry and colleagues at Manchester University supported farmers' claims that their health has been damaged by the organophosphate sheep dips the then Ministry of Agriculture had obliged them to use. The study of 400 farmers who used sheep dip found that those whose health had deteriorated were twice as likely to have a variation in a gene that regulates paraoxonase, a blood enzyme which breaks down toxic chemicals. The 175 sick farmers in the study were genetically less able to break down diazinon, an organophosphate pesticide used in sheep dip.

Ed.- (i) When the body is unable to break down a substance, it can accumulate (e.g. in adipose fat) leading to excessive levels.

(ii) Organophosphate pesticides were introduced into UK agriculture despite warnings from scientists as far back as the '50s that they were closely related to nerve gas and too dangerous to use. Successive governments since have denied any danger and dismissed farmers' claims of health damage.

In 1989 Brian Anderson complained to the European Commission (EC) that he had been poisoned by sheep dip chemicals from a neighbouring farm which had contaminated his private water supply. (Spent sheep dip is often simply poured into soakaways, often no more than holes in the ground. It then filters through the soil into either groundwater or rivers and streams.) As a result, the EC forced the UK Government to review practices for disposal of toxic chemicals on land. This led to new regulations requiring farmers to seek prior authorisation before dumping sheep dip.

A new survey of private water supplies by the Welsh Office during 1997 and 1998 showed that there had been some improvement, but that 20% of private water supplies tested were still being contaminated. In the worst case, the level was 22 times the legal limit, and four other samples exceeded the limit.

Brian Anderson has been confined to a wheelchair and unable to work since he was poisoned.