Japan Orders Halt to Fukushima Beef Cattle Shipments

Tokyo, July 19 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government instructed Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato on Tuesday to suspend shipments of all beef cattle raised in the northeastern Japan prefecture due to fears of radioactive contamination.
The measure does not cover cattle aged less than one year.
It is the first halt to shipments of cows since the crisis began at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on March 11.
The government will compensate farmers for the damage caused by the suspension, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a news conference.
As of Tuesday, meat from 29 cows raised in Fukushima and fed cesium-contaminated rice hay has been found to contain radioactive cesium exceeding the legal limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram.
Some of the tainted meat has reached consumers through retailers and restaurants.
Including cattle raised elsewhere, beef from 650 cows shipped from the four prefectures of Fukushima, Yamagata, Saitama and Niigata as of Tuesday is believed to be contaminated.
There are some 30,000 beef cattle in Fukushima. The prefectural government has already asked 4,000 cattle farmers in the prefecture to voluntarily refrain from shipping their animals.
The latest step is in order to ensure that all beef shipment is halted until a system is in place to check cattle for radiation.
Ideas under consideration include having prefectural authorities check all cattle one by one and allowing shipments if cesium levels prove to be below the legal limit, sources familiar with the matter said.
The health ministry is trying to identify the routes through which tainted beef has been distributed and whether the meat has been sold or served in restaurants.
For this, the ministry has posted the identification numbers on its Web site of all cows that may be affected.