£80,000 for shepherd sick with OP exposure
£80,000 for shepherd sick with OP exposure
By Alan Barker
A FORMER farm college shepherd has received £80,000 compensation for damage to his health caused by the use of organophosphate sheep dip.
Robert Shepherd, Crook, Co Durham, was forced to retire from his job as farm manager and shepherd at the Lancashire College of Agriculture at Myerscough in l991 because of deteriorating health.
His claim for compensation against Lancashire County Council, which was taken up by Unison, the public service union, was settled out of court.
The case adds weight to evidence that exposure to organo-phosphates causes acute poisoning and chronic long-term damage, claims Unison.
Part of Mr Shepherds job was the twice-yearly dipping of the college sheep flock. The unions case against his employers was that his health deteriorated over a 12-year period, until he was forced to retire on health grounds in l991.
The grounds of the claim were that Mr Shepherd suffered symptoms of tiredness and lethargy, irritability and loss of concentration and was unable to work.
Bronwyn McKenna, Unisons head of legal matters, said as an agricultural college, Mr Shep-herds employers should have had access to the most up-to-date information about the dangers of using sheep dips, not only to warn their staff but to protect students.
The council should have carried out detailed risk assessments and taken measures to provide personal protective clothing as well as introducing an adequate system of monitoring the dipping process.
Paul Tyler, Lib-Dem, North Cornwall, and convenor of the All Party OP Group, said: "These products were the subject of a compulsory dipping scheme. Govern-ment shares with manufacturers full responsibility for promoting the use of dangerous chemicals.
• As FW went to Press no comment was available from Lancashire County Council.