Thursday, August 18, 2011

Japanese Government Will Lift Shipping Ban on Cows from Fukushima and Miyagi (Hello #Radioactive Beef Again)

Nothing coming out of Japan makes sense any more, so this news is simply adding to that growing list.

The national government will lift the ban on sales and shipment of meat cows raised in Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures because the government is satisfied that the radioactive rice hay is now separated from other feed - either under the tarp or buried - so that it will not be fed to the cows.

If I remember right, the worry was not the rice hay but the meat itself, which tested high in radioactive cesium all over Japan as the cows from these two prefectures (and several more in Tohoku) had been sold far and wide because of the suddenly "affordable" price. They were particularly favored by certain cost-conscious municipalities (most notably Yokohama City) that fed the suspected meat to the kindergarteners and school children in school lunches, ignoring protests from the parents.

Humans eat beef not rice hay, as far as I know. But now the ban will be lifted because of ... rice hay storage procedure?

From Mainichi Shinbun (8/18/2011):

政府は18日、福島県と宮城県で飼育されている肉牛の出荷停止を両県全域で解除する方向で検討に入った。早ければ19日にも両県知事に解除を指示す る。肉牛から国の暫定規制値(1キロあたり500ベクレル)を超える放射性セシウムが検出され、政府は7月19日~8月2日、福島、宮城、岩手、栃木の4 県に出荷停止を指示したが、解除すれば初めてとなる。

The Japanese government started to prepare for the total lifting of the shipping ban on meat cows raised in Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures on August 18. The government will instruct the governors of the two prefectures as early as August 19. As radioactive cesium exceeding the provisional national safety limit (500 becquerels/kg) was found in the meat, the government banned the shipping of the cows in Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Tochigi Prefectures between July 19 and August 2. Fukushima and Miyagi would be the first to have the ban lifted.

 農林水産省と厚生労働省、福島、宮城両県は、汚染された稲わらの管理や解体後の牛の放射性物質検査の体制などを協議してきた。その結果、汚染稲わ らを他の飼料と明確に区分してシートで覆ったり、地中に埋めて餌として使用できない状態であることが確認され、食肉処理後のセシウム検査で暫定規制値以下 であれば、出荷を認める方向。

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture have been discussing the ways to store the contaminated rice hay and to test radioactive materials after the cows are processed into meat. As the result, [the government is satisfied that] the contaminated rice hay has been confirmed to have been clearly separated from other feed and covered with plastic sheets or to have been buried in the ground so that it cannot be used as feed. As long as the meat tests below the provisional safety limit, the government will allow the shipping.

 政府は岩手、栃木両県についても同様の条件が整い次第、出荷停止を解除する方針。

As soon as the same condition is achieved in Iwate andn Tochigi Prefectures, the government will lift the shipping ban there.

 出荷再開の条件として、厚労省は畜産農家に保管されている汚染稲わらを農家の敷地外に移すよう求めていた。一方、農水省や福島、宮城両県は、保管場所の確保が難しいことを理由に農家の敷地内で牛と隔離した場所に置く方法を主張していた。

The Ministry of Health and Labor wanted the contaminated rice hay out of the cattle farms as a condition to lift the ban. On the other hand, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fukushima/Miyagi Prefectures insisted the rice hay remain within the farms as long as it was separated from the cows, because it would be hard for the farms to secure the storage space outside the farms.
So the Ministry of Health and Labor lost. This is the Ministry that's supposed to protect consumers.

Will they test all the cows? No they won't. Not even in Fukushima. They only test the meat of the cows raised in the planned evacuation zone and evacuation-ready zone right outside the 20 kilometer radius from Fukushima I Nuke Plant. For everywhere else in Fukushima Prefecture, the first cow to be shipped from a cattle farm will be tested. If that passes the test, all cows can be sold.

Even when they do test, they will just do the simple test using "affordable" instruments that cost only a few thousand dollars and take only 15 minutes to test, and as long as the number is below 250 becquerels/kg they won't test further. Only if it goes above 250 becquerels/kg, they will use expensive instruments that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take 1 hour to test.

What about the news at the end of July that radioactive cesium is NOT distributed evenly in the meat, not even within the same part?

Well, that's not in the manual of elite bureaucrats in these two ministries, and Fukushima and Miyagi would be the last ones to alert them.

So here we go again. Radioactive beef will be force-fed through social pressure, now that the government declares safety. No way to test all meat, and even if they do, one piece of meat may test differently from another piece of the same part. And they won't even tell you whether it is 244 becquerels/kg or 2 becquerels/kg, as long as it is below 250 becquerels/kg.

Fukushima Prefecture, probably in anticipation of the lifting of the ban, has launched a new campaign to push Fukushima produce - vegetables, fruits, meat - using celebrities. "Fukushima Shin Hatsubai (new product launch)" is the campaign.

The governors of these two prefectures will no doubt do the ceremony of "declaration of safety" of their own, and eat the beef in front of the press to appeal safety to the nation and the rest of the world. If they are so brave as the governor of Shizuoka, they will go to a gourmet Japanese restaurant in New York and host an event with some celebrities who (used to) love Japanese cuisine and eat the safe beef that tested below the provisional safety limit of Japan.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Off topic, but the radiation level in Osaka looks higher than usual today at bousai.ne.jp. Usually it's around 58 and today it's 84. I've never seen a number that high for Osaka, so I was just wondering.

Anonymous said...

"The governors of these two prefectures will no doubt do the ceremony of "declaration of safety" of their own, and eat the beef in front of the press to appeal safety to the nation and the rest of the world. If they are so brave as the governor of Shizuoka, they will go to a gourmet Japanese restaurant in New York and host an event with some celebrities who (used to) love Japanese cuisine and eat the safe beef that tested below the provisional safety limit of Japan."

might disagree here...was thinking horn of africa ...the famine!! less possibility of being tested and paid for by the un! just saying!

Anonymous said...

Take em out and hang the fuckers, if this was radioactive Chinese beef being sold in Japan the right wing and the media would be bouncing off the walls in outrage, but team Japan cant criticize itself.

Anonymous said...

Actually this may be a good sign to go vegetarian! Meat consumption is a major planet killer, especially the industrial production model. Nature always does have the last word.

Anonymous said...

I have lived a full life and thought I had seen it all but this... I don't have the words.
Japan Inc. is actually willing to kill many millions of its own people just to save face, keep up appearances and keep the economy rolling. I am just a simple man and cannot comprehend the darkness and depravity required to make such decisions. Do those responsible think they will escape judgment for their deeds?
Very bad karma gonna be handed down pretty soon I think.
B

Anonymous said...

Fukushima = Japan's Modern Gyokusai?

From Wiki:
Gyokusai (玉砕), literally "shattered jade", is a Japanese euphemism for suicide attack, or suicide in the face of defeat (seppuku). It is based on a quote of the 7th century Classical Chinese text Book of Northern Qi, 大丈夫寧可玉砕何能瓦全 "a great man should die as a shattered jewel rather than live as an intact tile." It was applied to a conception of honorable death in defeat by Saigō Takamori (1827–1877), and employed as a slogan ichioku gyokusai (一億玉砕?) "one hundred million broken jewels" by the Japanese government during the last months of the Pacific War, when Japan faced invasion by the Allies.

Guy Jean said...

The solution seems obvious: Don't buy Japanese beef. Ranting, whining, criticizing the gummint/bureaucrats, whatever, will at best simply result in more (and more sophisticated) obfuscation, as EX-SKF has well documented here under the banner of "extend and pretend". What else can one expect?

Anonymous said...

Problem is, Guy Jean, It's not just J-beef. Kyodo has just announced that cesium has been found in new season Ibaraki. Not a surprise, but still...

Guy Jean said...

"It's not just J-beef. Kyodo has just announced that cesium has been found in new season Ibaraki."

Agreed. Tho I think my points still stand: a) don't buy Ibaraki rice (the safety line will probably be "buy nothing north of Kansai"), and b) shouting that the government DO something will not get the results desired. It may even result in unpleasantly surprising results, as mine host is daily documenting.

It's a tragic story whichever way you look at it.

Anonymous said...

Hmm,societal breakdown as the inhabitants of Nippon are hopelessly irradiated.

Anonymous said...

Oh well, people just should ignore the Government. The Government is always lying...fact. The Government(s) don't care about the health of the Public...fact. The radiation problem is becoming critical for the survival of life...fact!

Eating beef is to eat death itself. Every mouthful is guaranteeing an excruciatingly painful death.

BEEF + RADIATION = DEATH
1 + 1 = 2
Comprehend it?

Anonymous said...

@ Guy jean (the safety line will probably be "buy nothing north of Kansai")

Hey mate Hokkaido's food is still A-OK! probably the least tainted in Japan right now except for Okinawa..

Anonymous said...

"Ranting, whining, criticizing the gummint/bureaucrats, whatever, will at best simply result in more (and more sophisticated) obfuscation,"

.. until the obfuscation becomes relevant only to other obfuscators?

Finish your thought process, or begin to label yourself as "sophisticated".

Guy Jean said...

"Hokkaido's food is still A-OK! probably the least tainted in Japan right now except for Okinawa."
Well corrected.

Anonymous said...

i disagree with mr. jean. of course people should stop eating contaminated beef, but people also ought to complain. loudly. they ought to scream bloody murder, because otherwise information about the food contamination will not reach consumers. one interesting thing that fukushima has revealed is just how thoroughly the nuclear industry has cooopted government, academic institutions, and the media, not just in japan but in much of the rest of the world. it seems that steps to limit the damage are only being taken when a popular outcy arises. and were it not for this blog, those who read english but not japanese would have only sporadic information on the developments in this disaster.

Mike

Anonymous said...

"and b) shouting that the government DO something will not get the results desired. It may even result in unpleasantly surprising results, as mine host is daily documenting."
I would like to know what could be more unpleasant three meltdowns? Might they send a hit team to take me out? BRING IT ON!
The water is contaminated, the food is contaminated and the air is loaded with fallout and I live 5,800 miles from Fukushima. It is all hopelessly contaminated.
Thank you Japan.
B

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile in Japan...
http://www.wimp.com/meanwhilejapan/
B

Anonymous said...

Yesterday I was at a conference of Dr Yuri BANDAJEVSKI, from Chernobyl. He is the founder of the Ecology and Health Center (chernobyl-today.org). He explained how Cesium enters the myocard (heart) and the cardiovascular system. 25 years after the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, even children and teenagers born after the accident are dying from cardiovascular dysfunction. It's also true for adults who grew near Chernobyl, in Belarus, Ukraina and part of Russia. He said the cemeteries are full of children's graves like never before.
We now know what to expect for Japanese children.
From CinnamonJapan

Anonymous said...

Je suis un vétéran des essais nucléaires français dans le sud pacifique (Moruroa)toujours actuellement confronté au secret défense français depuis un demi siècle. Est ce bien raisonnable comme délai...?! Toujours est il que le Gouvernement reconnait 18 pathologies liés aux effets radios induits auquels nous sommes tous affectés à des degres divers,et sur zône le chiffre monte à 225 pathologies identifiées rendu publique chiffrage du Journal "Le Monde"...Les experts U.S. définissent une zone de sécurité à 220 miles nautiques de circonférence,ce qui incluerait Tokyo et j'invite nos amis Japonais à tenir compte de ces observations sur le plan sanitaire...De tout coeur avec vous..

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