Japan Cows Barred From Grazing as Damaged Plant Leaks Radiation

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Japan has asked farmers to keep cows and cattle in barns as radioactive contamination of milk spread from Fukushima prefecture, where high radiation levels and fires have hampered repairs of a crippled nuclear plant.

“To prevent milk contamination, we are advising farmers that cows should be barred from grazing, kept inside barns and fed with grass harvested before the nuclear plant accident,” said Mitsuhiro Honda at the milk and dairy products division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. “We are not concerned about the safety of beef as the meat now on the market came from animals born more than two years ago.”

Japan has restricted raw-milk shipments from Fukushima and neighboring Ibaraki prefecture after tainted products were discovered through random testing. Repair work at the site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986 has been plagued by explosions, fires and leaks of toxic material. Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to drain radioactive water from the turbine building of the No. 3 unit at the damaged nuclear plant, where two workers suffered radiation burns yesterday.

Shoppers in Tokyo rushed to buy mineral water and soy milk, ignoring government assurances that food and tap water are safe. Countries from Australia to the U.S. restricted food imports from Japan on fears of radiation. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-25/cows-in-japan-barred-from-grazing-as-radiation-leaks-from-fukushima-plant.html

[MadHound]

1. Good luck with that,

I'm imagining that, being the end of winter, beginning of spring, the supply of hay and other such fodder is running low, since farmers would be counting on being able to graze their herds this time of year.

[HereSince1628]

3. exactly.

[HereSince1628]

2. How long can that last? It's WINTER, local hay stores would already

be more than half used...where will more come from, at what cost?