Radiation polluted beef spread out over that Japan's markets

Max Hodges for the New York Times

Some ranchers in Fukushima Prefecture say that they had received no guidelines of radiation leaks for the precautions of government officials in the course.

MINAMISOMA, Japan - had also shaken the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station after the explosions, said Kuniaki SATO, who rears cattle here about 20 miles of the crippled complex, receiving no clear warning from the Government about the dangers of radiation to his flock.

So he delivered six weeks after the accident on 23 April 12 his valuable cattle from his farm to the market.

Now Japanese agricultural officials say that meat from more than 500 cattle, expected to be contaminated with radioactive caesium had his way, supermarkets and restaurants very Japan has made in recent weeks. Officials say that Hay ate cattle, which had been stored outside and exposed to radiation.

"I was a little worried, but we had to sell, if we could," said Mr SATO, whose Vieh Hay not recovered and were probably were not contaminated.

If a careful all farm was lifted shipments to stop soon after the accident, range took farmers it as green light character, he said. "We all resumed shipments," he said. "Of course we have."

The revelations by the Government this month, which reached contaminated meat Japanese markets have stepped up food security concerns in Japan, underlines the Government inability to control the spread of radioactive material in the nation food .In a number of products, including spinach, tea leaves, milk and fish radioactive material was found. Contaminated Hay was found more than 85 miles of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant farm, which suggests that the radioactive fallout has reached a larger area than first anticipated.

Still, because of a serious lack of testing equipment, and local governments, which flooded with disaster relief are only a small percentage of farm products in the region grown checked for radiation.

The Government made exposed to agricultural programmes within a radius of 12 miles around the Fukushima plant, as well as a number of other identified radiation "hot spots". But companies outside these areas, even the relatively close at work, have some limitations in the delivery of their production.

Produce for months the Government shied away from, a larger ban on placing on the market from the region of Fukushima, despite sporadic discoveries contaminated products, bring out of fear of a fresh confusion in the field of disaster affected thousands more people are unemployed and compensation for Tokyo electric power, operates the Fukushima plant growing needs Add.

Now, with the number of contamination cases rises, the Government finally moves to ban beef shipments from the Prefecture Fukushima, an area of 5,300 square miles, slightly smaller than Connecticut. Yukio Edano, the Chief Cabinet Secretary said Tuesday that the Government in which such a ban to coordinate and advertisement "Final phase was" could come later in the day.

Fukushima Prefecture has also said, it issued statements late March, that warning farmers to ensure that inside Hay was stored, to prevent possible contamination of rain. But many farmers said that they were not such a policy-aware.

Areas in high radiation readings, also here in Minamisoma, a city in Fukushima, who had to radiation on the surface of your skin before checked on the market has been. But those checks insufficiently whether cattle radiation internally feed made available through consumption of contaminated, officials say measure.

Fukushima said Government officials, that they began inspections of all 4,000 or so beef in the Prefecture, to ensure that any of them radioactive Hay was used. Meanwhile prompting ranchers that correspond to a new voluntary shipping ban.

This month recognized test officials radioactive caesium Hay fed to cattle on a ranch in Minamisoma 250 times on official border and Japan. Beef from the farm include almost five times the official border.

Officials suspect that the Hay was stored outside and with rain water, which can carry radioactive elements in the atmosphere, as it falls was corrupted. Although Hay cattle here, is not usually fed a feed supply deficiency after 11 March earthquake and tsunami some farms forced to replace it for other foods.

Some farmers in the region say that they welcome tighter controls and livestock from Fukushima can be delivered, if precautions against radiation exposure.

Max Hodges research contributed.

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