Published: April 21, 2010
By MARTIN FACKLER
Japanese authorities imposed a temporary ban on beef exports on Tuesday after finding suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease in cows on a single farm in southern Japan.
The agriculture minister, Hirotaka Akamatsu, told reporters that mouth ulcers, a symptom of the disease, were detected in three cows from the farm in southern Miyazaki prefecture, an area known for its prized beef. The ban affects Japan’s relatively tiny exports — worth about $40 million last year — of mainly gourmet beef to countries like China and the United States. The agriculture ministry said it would also kill all 16 cows on the farm. The disease, which is not fatal to humans, was last detected in Japan 10 years ago.
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