Japan changes scope of restrictions on farm products

TOKYO, April 4 Kyodo -
The government decided Monday to change the scope of its restrictions on tap water and shipments of farm products based on radioactivity readings amid the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, though maintaining the current consumption limits for radioactive substances in them, its top spokesman said.
Following the release of radioactive particles from the tsunami-stricken nuclear plant, the government has restricted shipments of some farm products from four nearby prefectures and advised residents in some municipalities not to drink tap water.
But it will now impose such restrictions on agricultural products on a town basis, instead of blanketing the whole prefecture, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a news conference.
In addition to breaking down the coverage into smaller areas, Edano said the government will lift the current curb on each produce if radioactivity data stay below the safety limits for a third straight week.
With the latest change of rules, Edano said the government has ordered that shipments of spinach and other vegetables from three municipalities in Chiba Prefecture be stopped.
Spinach, parsley, celery, bok choy, garland chrysanthemum and ''sanchu'' Korean lettuce from Asahi, as well as spinach from Katori and Tako, all in the prefecture, will be banned from being shipped, he said.
With regard to tap water, the health ministry said it will lift a warning for drinking if the average radioactivity reading stays below the legal limit for three days in a row and there are signs that the downtrend would continue.
On the other hand, a warning over tap water will be issued from now on if the average radioactivity reading stays above the legal limit for three straight days, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
Some local governments have called for easing the restrictions on radiation levels allowed in food, saying the tentative levels set by the health ministry in the wake of the nuclear crisis at the plant triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami are too conservative.
Local authorities and farmers have also claimed that imposing restrictions on shipments of farm products on a prefectural basis is too strict, given that not all the areas have been affected by high levels of radiation from the nuclear complex.
Edano said the government wants to stop the spread of wild rumors for many agricultural products by carrying out more careful restrictions.
The advisory panel to the ministry's Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau, however, concluded that the consumption limit levels currently adopted should be maintained while the leak of radioactive materials from the nuclear plant is yet to be contained.
The Food Safety Commission and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency also consider the tentative limits appropriate.
On March 21, the government ordered the suspension of some farm product shipments from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures after radioactive contamination exceeding limits was confirmed in some vegetables.
The leak of radioactive materials into the air and nearby seawater, caused by crippled cooling systems at some of the Fukushima plant's reactors, has also raised concerns over tap water and fishery product contamination.
The panel also recommended that the health ministry and relevant government organizations inform the public better about health concerns by providing easy-to-understand information.