Greenpeace response to german MOX ban

Greenpeace welcomed today's announcement by German Environment minister Juergen Trittin, that Germany will ban imports of plutonium fuel (MOX) from Britain until it was satisfied with Sellafield's safety standards, as "a good first step to ending Britain's plutonium trade for good".

"BNFL's dreams of a plutonium empire have collapsed," said Greenpeace nuclear campaigner Helen Wallace, "It's time for Tony Blair to bite the bullet and recognise that reprocessing and Mox production are dead-end technologies being promoted by dead-beat company."

Japan has already suspended its plutonium fuel (MOX) programme, following revelations that BNFL had faked safety checks on MOX sent last year to Japan. 68% of the small quantity of contracts already signed for BNFL's new full-scale MOX plant at Sellafield are with Germany. This full-scale plant is still awaiting approval for start-up from the British Government.

Switzerland, BNFL's only other MOX customer, announced on Monday that it wishes to end nuclear reprocessing at Sellafield, and proposed a ban on any new reprocessing contracts.