Gov't to test rice crop in 19 prefectures for contamination
TOKYO —
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Monday that rice will be checked twice for radioactive cesium before and after harvesting in 19 prefectures.
The latest move follows bans on produce including green vegetables, milk and dairy products, some river fish, mushrooms and green tea, as well as beef shipments from Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures.
Meanwhile, NHK reported that Tochigi Prefecture has already decided to carry out inspections in 79 municipalities. Gov Tomikazu Fukuda said local governments in the prefecture will check to see if rice has been contaminated by cesium by collecting water samples from rice paddies.
The agriculture ministry issued a guideline Monday in which it stated that rice with radioactive cesium exceeding 500 becquerels—which is the provisional national standard—will be banned from shipment.
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25 Comments
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2
NuckinFutz
If they are testing the water in the rice fields are they testing the water we drink in those areas as well, or is this just another "do enough to keep the public from lynching us" measure on the part of the government? I hope the fields turn up okay because this is a huge area and the economic impact would be devastating to many farmers!
2
the_harper
Surely they need to test the rice, not just the water?
6
Ivan Coughanoffalot
And therefore will be mixed with uncontaminated rice until the batch falls below 500 becquerels. Honestly, is there anyone who has any atom of trust left in Japanese food safety? Incompetence at best, graft at worst.
6
cleo
The rice is still developing, the water is already there (and has been for months).
4
Disillusioned
Ah, think about it. They are testing the rice in nearly half of the country. If they find it is contaminated it will cripple the country both financially and with the amount of rice to eat. Whether they testing the water or testing the rice is s irrelevant. The point is, They cannot afford to throw away nearly half the nation's rice crop, so don't expect the findings of these tests to show the rice is inedible.
5
Osakadaz
How do they plan to get around to all th rice paddies? Which 19 prefectures? It must be only the major farms..lots of farmers who grow small paddies will be selling into rice cooperatives.I hope they are thorough.
5
paulinusa
Growing rice is water intensive. The measurements of the water should give an fairly accurate indication of the radiation level of the rice.
2
delrennich
Check Everything!!!
5
Farmboy
This is good news, but my dream is that, one day, I'll wake up and see an article, "Independent Scientific Team to Check all Crops and Food Sources" Okay, yes, I know....it was only a dream.
2
Asagao
I read in another article that the government would be asking farmers etc to check the levels themselves. I don't know about your measure of a typical rural farmers ability to carry out precise scientific calculations, or the quality of the equipment, but I figure the average rice farmer will just look at his hard work, look at his rice which just looks the same, and reach his result. I agree with Ivan Coughalot.
4
Foxie
They should test the rice in every prefecture and for everything, cesium isn't enough.
2
gogogo
What about all the other types of radiation coming from the plant? Are you only checking for this? Who is checking this BTW? The nuclear safety board? The same people that went on TV days after the nuclear reactor blew up and eat tomato's on camera?
3
jforce
As we've all been saying ... this was expected. Why I hear none of my colleagues discussing these fears is beyond me. We can't just look away and hope it goes away. This is not a time for apathy when the agricultural disaster looming will cripple us. I agree with all the posts above and of course testing should be carried out not only for cesium, but everything.
2
Christina O'Neill
I think its time to go shopping armed with a geiger counter
3
gogogo
Can't buy geiger counter's they are sold out everywhere
3
melguy
And geiger counters are useless for checking at the supermarket, you need much more sensitive, expensive equipment. It's about time an independent Not-For-Profit organisation was set up in Japan with the twin goals of ensuring food safety and ensuring prosecution of anyone - farmer, merchant, or bureaucrat - who compromises it.
2
borscht
And before the TEPCO meltdown the limit was 50 bequerels, if I recall. Or was it 250? In either case, the government immediately upped the limit to limit 'confusion.'
1
Osakadaz
I bought my Soeks geiger counter on Amazon for 40,000. Took about two weeks to arrive. Supermarkets should do the right thing and provide the expensive equipment. I read that AEON's so called meat testing really does involve waving a Soeks geiger counter over the beef..lol apparently they were doing it on TV.As Melguy says, without maybe a lead vaccuum environment the geiger counters won't show much..unless the contamination is absolutely off the scale...
1
Osakadaz
oh-oh...predictably it won't be testing, it will be sampling. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/01_12.html one or more farms will be sampled and this will form the basis of approval or disapproval. Then of course, the rice has to be hulled...using the local water. I personally think Tochigi and Chiba are being highly optimistic, but at least they are being proactive.
0
Utrack
This link may help in finding the proper food testing equipment, my guess is a geiger counter might not be sensitive enough to detect really small amounts, like medical or laboratory equipment might.
International Medcom [ High-Quality Radiation Detection Instruments ], Has Handheld Surface Contamination Meter $675 USD and the External Probe Surface Contamination Monitor $875USD
Checkout the specs. http://www.medcom.com/exp.htm
1
globalwatcher
This is a big national security issue for Japan. What is a supply/demand of Japanese rice production today?
3
warnerbro
They'll do a thorough check, find a few fields in an area that just barely meets the elevated standard, the only such terrain in the prefecture, and use them as their sample for the rest. Then they'll do what they do with Shizuoka tea and mix it.
0
JapanGal
I bought a geiger counter but will not get here until December. Says it is good for testing food.
0
gogogo
I ordered one yesterday, ships tomorrow from the US, test food and other things... even has a japanese mode... 500 bucks!
0
Farmboy
gogogo,
What brand and model? Thanks.
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