Within 24 hours of banning cattle from two locations in Iwate Prefecture, the Japanese government is also banning cows from Tochigi Prefecture.

Just like Iwate, the ban affects two areas within Tochigi Prefecture, after cesium contamination was found in cows and plants.  Tochigi has a much bigger cattle industry than Iwate.  As many as 55,000 head of beef cattle are shipped from Tochigi, and they process (slaughter) another 30,000 per year.

The national government is asking Tochigi officials to step up voluntary cesium inspections with the farms that are not in the two cesium affected areas.

The prefectures that are now under beef bans are Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Tochigi.

The Japanese government has made it official, and banned beef from Iwate Prefecture.  Iwate is the third prefecture to have its cattle banned from market.  Fukushima and Miyagi are the other two prefectures.  Iwate normally ships out 36,000 head of beef cattle every year.

The ban doesn’t affect all cattle from Iwate, just those from farms in two areas that have already tested positive for cesium contamination.  Other cattle farms, in Iwate, are being asked to step up cesium inspections.

The problem with the Japanese government’s response to the contaminated cattle, is that it is reactive.  They only take action after contaminated beef has made it to market.

It’s so obvious that massive cesium contamination has spread over a large area of Honshu.  It’s time to become pro-active and stop all agriculture shipments now!  Do contamination inspections on everything coming from farms.

I know for most agriculture products time is important because they can spoil, but spoiled food is better than letting highly contaminated food make it to market.  Again, it is so obvious that massive radioactive contamination has occurred.

The government of Japan has already banned beef shipments from Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures.  Now Iwate Prefecture is being considered for such a ban after cows there have been found contaminated with cesium.

At least 12 prefectures are voluntarily checking their own cows.  The national government is says it will cover the cost of the testing.  It is now believed that at least 3,000 contaminated cows made it to consumer markets.

It is becoming very clear that the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been, and still is, spreading massive amounts of cesium across Japan.

Japanese officials now say at least 1,400 contaminated cows made it to consumer markets.  More and more rice hay is being found contaminated.

Rain and wind are helping to spread radiation, from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, all over Japan.

The Japanese government is considering a beef buy back program, to help the stricken cattle industry.  No one in government ever considered the effects of radiation on cows, and now the Japanese cattle industry is crashing.

It’s now clear that no one in government was concerned about the effects that rain and wind would have, on spreading radiation across Japan.

14 July 2011, officials from Fukushima Prefecture discovered that a second farm, in Asakawa Town, shipped off as many as 42 internally contaminated cows.

The discovery was made as local officials expanded their testing of locally grown feed for cows.

On top of the discovery that more contaminated cows, from other farms, were shipped off to market, the latest hay samples revealed increasing cesium contamination.  The latest tests show 97,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium!  Previously the highest reading was 75,000.  The national safe limit is 500.

The contaminated cows from Asakawa Town, were shipped to Yokohama, Tokyo, Sendai and Chiba.  They were shipped between 08 April and 06 July.

Many Fukushima cattle farmers are about to go out of business, thanks to highly contaminated plants.  After highly radioactive beef was found, and sold, in eight prefectures, it was discovered that all the plants in Fukushima Prefecture are contaminated with high levels of cesium.

Local and national government officials have found that at least eight  prefectures got the contaminated beef, and it was sold to consumers.  Officials are sure that most of the beef sold to consumers was eaten.

When tracing the source of cesium contamination, officials discovered that the contaminated cows were eating hay grown out in the open in Fukushima Prefecture.  Some hay samples had 75,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.  The national government’s safe limit is 500.

Now cattle farmers are being told to stop using locally grown feed.  Many Fukushima farmers say the warning is too little too late.  Most farmers will go out of business because they can’t sell anymore cows.  If fact this whole issue has caused Japanese cattle prices to crash, so cattle farmers all over Japan are being affected.

Farmers in Fukushima say local and national officials never gave any warnings to cattle farmers.  Not even any advice on how they should operate with the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor nearby.

Most officials were concerned mainly with the affects of the nuclear disaster on people, and crops grown for human consumption.  It’s now obvious that the safety of crops grown for farm animals were ignored.

Up ’till now cattle were tested only for external radiation, but the contaminated beef came from cows that were internally contaminated, by the locally grown feed, showing no signs of external radiation contamination.

Officials also tested local water sources, but so far have not released the results.