ID :
194111
Sun, 07/10/2011 - 23:54
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http://m.oananews.org//node/194111
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Fukushima gov't inspects farm over beef radiation concerns+
FUKUSHIMA, Japan, July 10 Kyodo -
The Fukushima prefectural government inspected a farm in the city of Minamisoma on Sunday to check whether its management of feed and water for cattle was sufficient, in response to the detection of excessive levels of radioactive cesium in the meat of 11 cows shipped from the farm.
In the inspection, conducted on a voluntary basis, officials of the local government took samples of feed and straw from the farm and water from a well which the farm had given the cows, in order to measure the radiation dosage in an effort to find out how the cows were internally exposed to radioactive substances.
The officials took about two-and-a-half hours to inspect the cattle shed and the well and to ask the farm operator how the cows are managed and the type and amount of feed they are given.
''From just looking, there were no problems as the feed, for example, was kept in a sealed tank under a roof,'' Katsuhiko Moriguchi, one of the officials, said, adding that he will await the results of the radiation level measurements to figure out what caused the detection of high levels of radioactive cesium.
A family member of the farm's operator said after Sunday's inspection, ''I'm sure the consumers are also anxious, so we hope the prefecture will identify the cause.''
Minamisoma lies on the outskirts of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the northeastern prefecture. The plant has been releasing radioactive materials since it was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit eastern and northeastern Japan.
According to the prefectural government, the farm fed the cows with a livestock feed blend made outside the prefecture, while the water was from the well.
The Tokyo metropolitan government said Saturday that high levels of radioactive cesium had been detected in meat from 10 cows shipped to a meat-packing plant in Tokyo from Minamisoma, a day after it announced that a similarly excessive level had been found in the meat from one of 11 cows shipped to the capital from the northeastern Japan city.
The Fukushima prefectural government asked Minamisoma on Saturday to voluntarily refrain from shipping beef cattle from all areas of the city.
The meat from all 11 cows, shipped from the same farm, contained levels of radioactive cesium three to six times higher than the provisional ceiling of 500 becquerels per kilogram, with the highest level at 3,200 becquerels, according to the Tokyo government.
No radioactive substances, however, were detected on the body surfaces of the cows at the time of shipment, the prefectural government said.
In addition to the 11 cows, a total of six cows from the farm in Minamisoma were shipped to meat-processing plants in Tokyo and Tochigi Prefecture in May and June, according to related local governments.
Although meat from the 11 cows has not been distributed, meat from the six cows -- five shipped to Tokyo and one to Tochigi -- has been processed and may have reached the market, prompting local authorities to check where the meat was distributed.
The Fukushima prefectural government inspected a farm in the city of Minamisoma on Sunday to check whether its management of feed and water for cattle was sufficient, in response to the detection of excessive levels of radioactive cesium in the meat of 11 cows shipped from the farm.
In the inspection, conducted on a voluntary basis, officials of the local government took samples of feed and straw from the farm and water from a well which the farm had given the cows, in order to measure the radiation dosage in an effort to find out how the cows were internally exposed to radioactive substances.
The officials took about two-and-a-half hours to inspect the cattle shed and the well and to ask the farm operator how the cows are managed and the type and amount of feed they are given.
''From just looking, there were no problems as the feed, for example, was kept in a sealed tank under a roof,'' Katsuhiko Moriguchi, one of the officials, said, adding that he will await the results of the radiation level measurements to figure out what caused the detection of high levels of radioactive cesium.
A family member of the farm's operator said after Sunday's inspection, ''I'm sure the consumers are also anxious, so we hope the prefecture will identify the cause.''
Minamisoma lies on the outskirts of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the northeastern prefecture. The plant has been releasing radioactive materials since it was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit eastern and northeastern Japan.
According to the prefectural government, the farm fed the cows with a livestock feed blend made outside the prefecture, while the water was from the well.
The Tokyo metropolitan government said Saturday that high levels of radioactive cesium had been detected in meat from 10 cows shipped to a meat-packing plant in Tokyo from Minamisoma, a day after it announced that a similarly excessive level had been found in the meat from one of 11 cows shipped to the capital from the northeastern Japan city.
The Fukushima prefectural government asked Minamisoma on Saturday to voluntarily refrain from shipping beef cattle from all areas of the city.
The meat from all 11 cows, shipped from the same farm, contained levels of radioactive cesium three to six times higher than the provisional ceiling of 500 becquerels per kilogram, with the highest level at 3,200 becquerels, according to the Tokyo government.
No radioactive substances, however, were detected on the body surfaces of the cows at the time of shipment, the prefectural government said.
In addition to the 11 cows, a total of six cows from the farm in Minamisoma were shipped to meat-processing plants in Tokyo and Tochigi Prefecture in May and June, according to related local governments.
Although meat from the 11 cows has not been distributed, meat from the six cows -- five shipped to Tokyo and one to Tochigi -- has been processed and may have reached the market, prompting local authorities to check where the meat was distributed.
