Quake-induced stress ails cattle, jeopardizing livestock farming
Jul. 8, 2011
The March earthquake and tsunami affected vast numbers of people in northeastern Japan. But humans have not been the only ones traumatized by the disaster. The catastrophe-induced stress that has damaged the physical and mental health of cattle has taken a toll on the small-scale businesses of many local livestock farmers.
The ailments of cattle, which are vulnerable to stress by nature, are attributable to multiple causes. A Miyagi Prefecture livestock industry section official said, ''It will take time for the cattle to get their health back.''
Naoyuki Hino, a 63-year-old dairy farmer in the Miyagi city of Ishinomaki, said, ''Our (15) cows are producing 250 kiloliters of milk a month and the monthly output has stayed at that level, although it used to be 350 kl before the quake.'' This led to a fall in monthly sales by some 300,000 yen for Hino.
The postquake power outage forced Hino to hand-milk the cows only once a day whereas he used to milk them using machines twice a day before the temblor. As a result, the cows' udders became afflicted with mastitis.
Hino says, ''It pained me to hear the plaintive moans of my cows that were hurting (during the two-week blackout).'' Milk output subsequently declined and quality fluctuated.
Milk cows are usually fed with grass in the summertime. But due to the radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, regulatory authorities instructed farmers not to harvest grass at a time when it had become most nutritious.
To secure necessary nutrients for his herd, Hino is now buying additional feed, costing him another 60,000 yen or so a month.
If their milk output is to be restored to the previous level, cows must be impregnated and give birth. Tokihiro Sato, 55, who raises Jersey cows in the prefecture's city of Osaki, worries about the stress his cows are suffering and says, ''The success rate of artificial insemination may fall.''
His concern is corroborated by the Ishinomaki farm cooperative, which says the rate has fallen 10 to 20 percent on many farms after the quake. The situation will compound the plight of farmers, who already saw the insemination rate plummet last year due to broiling summer heat.
Moreover, cows are normally impregnated on rotation to maintain milk output over a given period steady. If they change the rotation schedules, there could be wild swings in the output, possibly hurting the owners' income.
Under such circumstances, stud breeders also stand to lose.
Beef cattle apparently are also stressed out and their growth is being stunted, resulting in lower income for breeders.
Kiyoyuki Sekimura, 59, who raises premium beef cattle in Kurihara, Miyagi, complains his herd is putting on little weight. The cattle he shipped in April and May weighed about 30 kilograms less per head than usual.
The disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant has presented farmers in neighboring areas with another calamity.
The prices of locally raised beef cattle are estimated to have dived 30 or 40 percent in industry circles due to the public's fears about radioactive pollution.
With no end to the nuclear crisis in sight, prices are unlikely to bounce back anytime soon. Local livestock farmers are imploring the government to take action to dispel the anxiety of both producers and consumers.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on July 6, 2011)
The ailments of cattle, which are vulnerable to stress by nature, are attributable to multiple causes. A Miyagi Prefecture livestock industry section official said, ''It will take time for the cattle to get their health back.''
Naoyuki Hino, a 63-year-old dairy farmer in the Miyagi city of Ishinomaki, said, ''Our (15) cows are producing 250 kiloliters of milk a month and the monthly output has stayed at that level, although it used to be 350 kl before the quake.'' This led to a fall in monthly sales by some 300,000 yen for Hino.
The postquake power outage forced Hino to hand-milk the cows only once a day whereas he used to milk them using machines twice a day before the temblor. As a result, the cows' udders became afflicted with mastitis.
Hino says, ''It pained me to hear the plaintive moans of my cows that were hurting (during the two-week blackout).'' Milk output subsequently declined and quality fluctuated.
Milk cows are usually fed with grass in the summertime. But due to the radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, regulatory authorities instructed farmers not to harvest grass at a time when it had become most nutritious.
To secure necessary nutrients for his herd, Hino is now buying additional feed, costing him another 60,000 yen or so a month.
If their milk output is to be restored to the previous level, cows must be impregnated and give birth. Tokihiro Sato, 55, who raises Jersey cows in the prefecture's city of Osaki, worries about the stress his cows are suffering and says, ''The success rate of artificial insemination may fall.''
His concern is corroborated by the Ishinomaki farm cooperative, which says the rate has fallen 10 to 20 percent on many farms after the quake. The situation will compound the plight of farmers, who already saw the insemination rate plummet last year due to broiling summer heat.
Moreover, cows are normally impregnated on rotation to maintain milk output over a given period steady. If they change the rotation schedules, there could be wild swings in the output, possibly hurting the owners' income.
Under such circumstances, stud breeders also stand to lose.
Beef cattle apparently are also stressed out and their growth is being stunted, resulting in lower income for breeders.
Kiyoyuki Sekimura, 59, who raises premium beef cattle in Kurihara, Miyagi, complains his herd is putting on little weight. The cattle he shipped in April and May weighed about 30 kilograms less per head than usual.
The disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant has presented farmers in neighboring areas with another calamity.
The prices of locally raised beef cattle are estimated to have dived 30 or 40 percent in industry circles due to the public's fears about radioactive pollution.
With no end to the nuclear crisis in sight, prices are unlikely to bounce back anytime soon. Local livestock farmers are imploring the government to take action to dispel the anxiety of both producers and consumers.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on July 6, 2011)
