A grazing demonstration test is being carried out in a paddy field owned by Yamada Takeshi , and a pasture managed by local farmers in Iitate Village.
This year is the second time for the paddy field test to be carried out, but it is the first time for the pasture grazing test since the nuclear accident.
The cattle will graze for three months, and the concentration of radioactive cesium in the grass they eat, the soil, and their blood will be measured every month by the prefecture.
No radioactive substances were detected in the paddy field test last fiscal year.
If the results of inspections reveal no health problems with the cattle, Mr. Yamada plans to move his 50 or so cattle in Iino Town of Fukushima City, where he is taking refuge, back to Iidate Village within the year. He is building a new cowshed there. Mr. Yamada says, "We want to carry out repeated tests so we can expand the area where cattle can graze." Mr. Yamada's dream is to raise 100 cattle.
He is aiming to revive "Iitate beef," a brand that died with the nuclear accident.
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