49 Miyazaki stud bulls to be slaughtered amid foot-and-mouth outbreak+

TOKYO, May 24 Kyodo -
The government decided Monday to slaughter 49 stud bulls in Miyazaki Prefecture
amid the spread of foot-and-mouth disease there, despite the desire of local
authorities to keep the animals alive, leaving only five stud bulls in the
southwestern prefecture.
Senior Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Masahiko Yamada
said Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama gave the green light during their meeting at
the premier's office, in a move that is likely to be taken as the government's
choice to prioritize prevention of the spread of the disease over the locals'
wishes.
Calling it ''necessary'' to slaughter the 49 stud bulls and that an exceptional
measure to preserve them should not be taken, Yamada said in a news conference
after their meeting, ''It is unacceptable that there are bulls that continue to
survive and spread the virus.''
The development is likely to exacerbate the problems facing the Miyazaki
livestock industry as the bulls are used to produce the prefecture's prized
beef.
On the state's decision, Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru said, ''It's
regrettable. While it's up to the political leadership if a preferential
measure (to keep the stud bulls alive) should be approved, I want the
government to follow the wishes of farmers and the farm industry.''
Higashikokubaru indicated he will continue to ask the central government not to
slaughter the 49.
Amid such local calls against the slaughter of the 49 bulls, which were bred in
the town of Takanabe, Yamada sought the understanding of local authorities and
farmers, and stressed the need for unity in working together to address the
issue.
As for the five other bulls, which were among six separated from other cattle
after the spread of foot-and-mouth-disease, Yamada said, ''We don't necessarily
consider them a target for slaughter. We're now following up on their health
condition.''
But given that a bull named Tadafuji, which had provided the most semen among
the six, was destroyed last week after twice testing positive for the disease
virus in a gene examination, the vice minister said the ''possibility is high''
that the five are also infected.
Should another case of an infected bull among the five be detected, Yamada, who
heads a task force dealing with the disease, said he will immediately consult
with the farm minister.
Yamada said the government intends to finish vaccinating by Tuesday almost all
cows and pigs within a 10-kilometer radius of infected farms, and is also
coordinating on using part of the Air Self-Defense Force base in the
prefectural town of Shintomi as a burial site for the slaughtered livestock.
He also said he sees compensation for the farmers as ''considerably'' larger
than about 47.3 billion yen, which is the estimated value of cows to be
slaughtered.
In Miyazaki, meanwhile, examinations of cows and pigs in the city of Ebino --
where a positive case of the disease was last reported May 13 -- began Monday
to determine whether it is safe to lift a ban on the transfer of livestock
around the area following the epidemic.
If the animals involved are confirmed safe, the ban, covering a 10-km radius
from where outbreaks have been reported in Ebino, will be lifted on June 4,
allowing the transfer of livestock to resume.
Livestock in Ebino are not subject to vaccination and slaughter.
==Kyodo
2010-05-24 23:36:07


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