Over 2,600 Meat Cows Suspected of Being Fed with Radioactive Rice Hay

Diposkan oleh Pengetahuan dan Pengalaman on Saturday, July 23, 2011

The number was 1,697 yesterday, and to that, 944 cows from Miyagi Prefecture alone were added overnight, bringing the total to at least 2,641.

Tokyo Shinbun, citing Kyodo News (7/23/2011):

宮城県は23日、原発事故後に集めた稲わらを肉牛に与えていた県内の農家から、新たに汚染の疑いがある944頭が東京、山形、宮城、神奈川、千葉、新潟の1都5県に出荷されたと発表した。県の出荷総数は計1183頭となった。

Miyagi Prefecture announced on July 23 that additional 944 meat cows from Miyagi Prefecture suspected of being fed with rice hay collected after the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident had been shipped to 6 prefectures - Tokyo, Yamagata, Miyagi, Kanagawa, Chiba and Niigata. The total number of potentially contaminated cows shipped from Miyagi is now 1,183.

 県によると、新たに17戸の農家が保管していた稲わらから国の暫定基準値を超える放射性セシウムが検出され、うち16戸が計626頭を出荷していた。

According to Miyagi Prefecture, radioactive cesium exceeding the provisional safety limit for the feed [300 becquerels/kg] was found from the rice hay kept at 17 cattle farms. Total 626 cows had been shipped from 16 of those farms.

 このほか、在庫の稲わらが残っていなかった農家15戸が318頭の肉牛を出荷。稲わらの検査はしていないが、この15戸についても県は汚染した稲わらを肉牛に与えていた可能性が高いと判断した。

In addition, 318 cows had been shipped from 15 cattle farms whose rice hay wasn't tested because it was all used up. The prefectural government decided it is highly possible that the rice hay fed to the cows was contaminated with cesium.

Miyagi Prefecture has the detailed test results (in Japanese) on its website. The highest radioactive cesium level from the most recent test was 7,822 becquerels/kg in Shiroshi City, located near the prefectural border to Fukushima near the cities that have been found with high radiation areas (Date City, Fukushima City, etc.).