Gov't set to tell Miyazaki to kill stud bulls over disease+

TOKYO, July 14 Kyodo -
The central government is in the final stages of preparation to instruct the
Miyazaki prefectural government to slaughter six privately owned stud bulls in
a bid to contain the food-and-mouth epidemic that has hit livestock in
southwestern Japan, central government officials said Wednesday.
Such unprecedented action -- an administrative task legally entrusted to a
local government by the state -- could be taken as early as Thursday as
Miyazaki continues to reject a call to dispose of the bulls.
On Wednesday, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Masahiko Yamada
obtained approval from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku on the move that
could stir controversy over authority between central and local governments.
The ministry will likely take even severer administrative measures if Miyazaki
refuses to accept the order, under which the state would be allowed to execute
a slaughtering of the bulls although the step requires endorsement from a high
court.
The bulls are owned by a 72-year-old farmer and are in the area where all
livestock are subjected to slaughtering under a special law aimed at preventing
the highly contagious animal disease from spreading.
Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru initially demanded that the bulls be
slaughtered but later changed his mind, saying his government intended to take
over the ownership of the six bulls and make them an exception to the culling
procedure.
In a press conference held earlier Wednesday, Sengoku asked Miyazaki to
slaughter the six stud bulls.
''At present, however, the agriculture minister should persuade the governor to
accept the action and the governor should persuade the owner of the bulls to do
so,'' he added.
In a meeting with local Miyazaki politician Kenji Kuroki, farm minister Yamada
reiterated that there should be no exceptions. The prefectural government,
meanwhile, is expected to submit to the state a written request for financial
relief for local livestock farming by the end of this month.
==Kyodo
2010-07-15 00:14:01