Thursday, July 21, 2011

Japan: rice straw led to radioactive contamination o

A new batch of nearly 850 cattle suspected of having been fed radioactive rice straw was identified in several prefectures in Japan, bringing to nearly 1,500 the number of cattle heads shipped contaminated in virtually all countries, it was learned Thursday, July 21. Investigations conducted by the authorities revealed that cattle suspected of contamination was shipped from farms Iwate (north), Akita (north), Gunma (center), Niigata (west coast), Gifu (center) and Shizuoka (South Central), according to media count.


The government Tuesday banned the sale of beef from the prefecture of Fukushima after the discovery of radioactive meat, due to the ingestion of hay exposed to radiation from the central hilly Fukushima. Since these initial reports, the extension of controls can detect other cases that amplify the anxiety of the population.

In Iwate, a content of radioactive cesium up to 57,000 becquerels per kilogram - well above the limit set by the government of 300 becquerels - was detected in the rice straw fed to cattle, according to the prefectural . For the first time that such an element is detected in the rice straw produced in the prefecture.

Livestock farms in Shizuoka, Akita, Gunma and Gifu, for his part was fed with rice straw from Tome, Miyagi Prefecture in the (northeast), located north of the rugged Central Fukushima. A total of eight prefectures have received shipments of rice straw produced in Miyagi, in whole or in part collected after the nuclear accident.

Dozens of farms have fed their livestock with the food. While some districts are taking steps to inform farmers, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs decided Wednesday to ask the municipalities to prioritize the control of cattle already on the market rather than vegetables and other products awaiting shipment.

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