(JAPAN) Gov't to cull livestock in no-go zone near Fukushima plant

[AsahinaKimi]

TOKYO —

Japan will cull livestock and poultry in the no-entry zone within a 20-kilometer radius of the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant due to difficulty in feeding them, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Thursday.

Edano, the top government spokesman, told a news conference that farmers can no longer continue to feed their livestock after the government designated the area as a no-go zone for safety reasons amid continued fears of radiation leaks from the plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

Before the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the nuclear power plant, there were about 3,400 cows, 31,500 pigs and some 630,000 chickens in the area, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Based on the prefecture’s investigation, about 1,300 cows and roughly 200 pigs are still alive, while the chickens are all likely to be dead.

more...

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/govt-to-cull-livestock-in-no-go-zone-near-fukushima-plant