Radioactive Cattle Shipments Banned In Japan

Bloomberg via nc links:

Beef cattle shipments from areas near Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant were banned as consumers and lawmakers accused the government of negligence after more cows were found contaminated with radiation.
Authorities discovered 637 cattle that had been fed hay tainted with radioactive cesium and sent to market from farms in prefectures including Fukushima, Masahiro Seki, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ livestock and feed division, said in an interview yesterday.
Four months after an earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power station causing the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said yesterday the government halted all shipments of cattle from the area. Aeon Co., Japan’s biggest supermarket chain, said July 16 it had sold beef from cattle tainted by radiation at 14 of its stores in Tokyo and four other prefectures.

I am surprised it took them this long to address trying to keep contaminated livestock out of the market.  Of course, they've had their hands full dealing with other problems from the disasters, but it seems like a no-brainer to protect the food supply.  This undermines confidence in the whole system.