Gov't to compensate farmers for losses due to foot-and-mouth disease+

TOKYO, May 21 Kyodo -
The farm ministry unveiled on Friday the government's additional measures over
the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Miyazaki Prefecture to compensate
farmers for slaughtered cows and pigs at market values, rather than uniform
rates as initially planned.
The government will also shoulder the cost of feed for the domesticated animals
until their slaughter.
In Saito, Miyazaki, a cow suspected to be infected with the disease was found
at a farm, the municipal office said. If the infection is confirmed in tests,
it means the disease has spread to two cities and four towns in the prefecture.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries also decided to pay farmers
59,000 yen for each slaughtered cow as financial support for them until
resumption of their operations and to pay farmers for rents of land lots used
to bury the slaughtered livestock.
Farmers will also receive the state subsidy to lease cows and pigs when they
restart their work.
The farm ministry said that vaccination to all the cows and pigs within a
10-kilometer radius of infected areas will begin Saturday morning as
municipalities in the areas accepted the measure on Friday.
The livestock will be slaughtered after being vaccinated as part of the
government's efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.
The government had difficulties in obtaining consent for the slaughter from
local authorities because local livestock farmers had been dissatisfied with
the government's support measures, including the amount of compensation for
slaughter.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has declined a proposal by the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organization to send an expert team to help contain the escalating
infection in Miyazaki.
Japan told the Rome-based FAO through the Japanese Embassy there that Japan
would like to continue taking proper advice from FAO.
==Kyodo
2010-05-21 23:35:12