Cows fed hay with radioactive cesium at 250 times legal limit
July 11 (NHK) – Radioactive cesium far exceeding the legal limit has been detected in hay that was fed to cattle at a farm in Fukushima Prefecture. The prefecture has been investigating why the cattle were contaminated with the radioactive substance. On Sunday, officials took samples of feed and well water at the farm located in Minamisoma City within the planned evacuation zone. They say 75,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium has been detected in the feed. This far exceeds the government’s safety limit of 300 becquerels per kilogram. The farmer says the cattle had been kept inside but were fed with hay left outdoors after the March nuclear accident. Eleven cattle from the farm were sent to Tokyo to be slaughtered. The beef from the animals contained levels of cesium that were more than triple the legal limit. The prefecture has asked farmers in the city to suspend beef cattle shipments. Fukushima Prefecture will continue to investigate the feed and water and check if there were any problems with the way the cattle were raised.
