Dairy cattle in Fukushima sent to slaughterhouse over radiation fears

The Mainichi Daily News of Japan has reported that two of the 11 dairy farms in the Fukushima Prefecture town of Iitate -- 40 kilometers to the northwest, and directly downwind, of the leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant -- have agreed to having their dairy cattle slaughtered due to radioactive contamination of the milk. However, other dairy farmers are trying to export their milk, if it tests below the government-established "permissible" level of radioactivity in milk. Meanwhile, Japanese t.v. broadcaster NHK has reported that the first radioactive contamination of livestock feed has been documented in Miyagi Prefecture, adjacent to Fukushima Prefecture. Levels of radioactive cesium five times the permissible limit were detected, prompting Miyagi Prefecture officials to urge farmers not to feed pasture grass to livestock, and not to put cattle out on pastures to graze.