Radiation concerns grow for Japan’s beef supply

Photo by: Associated Press

Photo

Cattle are fed after officials confrmed the hay was safe at a farm in Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

Associated Press

TOKYO

Concerns about radiation-tainted beef intensified Sunday in Japan as officials struggled to determine the scope of the problem and prevent further contamination of the meat supply.

The government prepared to suspend cattle shipments from Fukushima amid a growing tally of cows that fed on rice straw containing high levels of radioactive cesium. The development underscores the widespread and still-unfolding impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

The straw was harvested from rice paddies in the prefecture after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged cooling systems and triggered the release of radiation from the plant. The region’s agricultural sector was among the hardest-hit as radiation seeped into water, affecting spinach and other leafy vegetables.

Distributors bought meat from the exposed cows, and some has already reached consumers.