Angry farmers from Fukushima brought a large cow to the center of Tokyo on Friday to demand that the government investigate a disease they say cattle have developed since the nuclear disaster started three years ago.
Operators of the non-profit Kibo no Bokujo (Farm of Hope) delivered an adult black cow to the front of the farm ministry to demand an investigation into why it and many other animals have developed white dots on their skin since three reactors at the poorly protected Fukushima No. 1 plant went into meltdown after the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.
The farm is 14 km (9 miles) from the power plant and is keeping some 350 cows that were abandoned when their owners fled the radiation.
“Our cows cannot be shipped as meat. They are evidence of lives affected by radiation,” said Masami Yoshizawa, leader of the farm, in front of the ministry as his supporters and media looked on.
Fellow Fukushima farmer Naoto Matsumura said: “What if this started happening to people? We have to examine the cause of this and let people know what happened to these animals.”
Vast stretches of farmland in Fukushima have been tainted by radioactive fallout from the plant, forcing tens of thousands of residents to abandon their homes and jobs for life in temporary shelters.
The government says it could take decades to clean the region, but scientists say many residents may never be able to return.