Japan Times reports 84 more Fukushima cows found shipped-Cattle fed contaminated hay sent to five prefecture
Worried Customers Examine Beef
A further 84 cows shipped from five beef cattle farms in Fukushima Prefecture were fed with hay containing high levels of radioactive cesium, the prefectural government said Saturday.
Fifty-three of the cows were sent to Tokyo, 19 to Fukushima Prefecture, eight to Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture, two to Yamagata Prefecture and two to Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture.
The latest findings surfaced during a survey of farms the prefecture started July 11, after a farm in Minamisoma was found to have fed cows with hay containing radioactive cesium far above the government's limit of 500 becquerels per kg.
According to the prefectural government, the 84 cows were raised at five farms in the cities of Koriyama, Kitakata and Soma, and were fed with hay that farmers cut from rice paddies after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Hay remaining at a Koriyama farm was found to be contaminated with a level of cesium measuring 500,000 becquerels per kg. The farmers involved told Fukushima authorities that they were unaware of the central government's instruction issued March 19 that farm animals should not eat feed kept outdoors during the nuclear crisis.
However, meat from the other two cows, which had reached wholesalers in Tokyo and Yamagata Prefecture, contained 650 and 694 becquerels per kg, the officials said.
It is difficult to imagine how stressful and confusing this is for Japanese customers and farmers. It does not seem sufficient just to tell farmers they shouldn't feed cows food produced outdoors. Where else are they going to get hay from?
Unless, hay is being shipped in, should we assume the the poor farmer will be tempted to let them eat whatever food they have?
It's seems as if the Japanese need a higher level approach to maintain confidence in their food supply, and export markets.
8:00 PM PT: http://www.salem-news.com/...
S.O.S. From Fukushima - 'We know the government is not telling us the truth'
Tim King Salem-News.com
d to return to their homes in this city of nuclear contamination, they are fearful for their children's futures and asking the world community for support.
A man in the video who uses the name Nakate, explains that he represents a network to protect children from radiation. "It's been three months since the accident at Fukushima Everyday we discover new things. We know the government is not telling us the truth".
That is a harsh charge toward the Japanese government, but apparently right on the money from what we can tell.
"We the citizens of Fukushima ask ourselves if this region is habitable, and if our children should continue to live here. We ask for an evacuation order for us and our children. Neither the Japanese government nor the local authorities call for an evacuation. We have to figure it out for ourselves. We need national and international support. Please send us your messages of support to Fukushima, Japan".
It was a natural disaster that led to the destruction of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but residents are being pushed back to this dangerous place by their government. While the corporate and political spin masters continue to try to reduce the severity of this disaster, the truth, according to one Japanese nuclear engineer, is far worse that what the average member of the public understands.
If this report turns out to be true, Japan will face a whole new level of criticism. Elsewhere in this article, Tim King, reports growing criticism from the US, and report that less information than desired is being released. I'm going to have to study these most recent allegations more carefully, before I render a personal opinion. I share this second report, here, with caution, as I'm not familiar with this author.