July 3, 2010

Japan resumes livestock shipping in Miyazaki

Livestock shipping resumed Friday (Jul 2) in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, after being suspended for three weeks due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The resumption was accompanied by the lifting of restrictions on the movement of livestock that had been imposed in areas in and around the city.

Miyakonojo is the nation's top beef and pork producing city.

The movement of livestock has been restricted in areas around a farm in the city since foot-and-mouth disease was discovered at the farm on June 9. Livestock in a 10-kilometre radius of the farm were not allowed to be moved from their barns, and livestock between a radius of 10 - 20 kilometres from the farm were not permitted to be moved outside the area.

If no new infections are detected, restrictions in other areas in the prefecture are expected to be lifted as early as July 16.

Hazama Farm Co., which has about 7,000 cows and 80,000 pigs mainly in Miyakonojo, shipped 100 pigs in four trucks to a meat packing plant Friday morning.