An “outbreak” of mad cow disease in Japan has so far cost the country
$500 million per infected cow, or $1.5 billion in total (200
billion yen). Despite only three confirmed cases, the country’s farmers and food
outlets are racking up huge losses, says the agriculture minister, Tsutomu
Takebe. Butchers’ shops hit by consumer panic accounted for almost half the
losses, with the remainder split between farmers and Korean barbecue
restaurants. The government has softened the farmers’ losses with subsidies.
Japan’s first confirmed BSE case was in September, and two cows have tested
positive since.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Space
Hubble Space Telescope is falling to Earth – should NASA save it?
News
Space
A robot called GIMLI will explore a lunar cave for a future moon base
91ɫÇéƬ
91ɫÇéƬ
The economic benefits of the covid vaccines may be double what we thought
News
Humans
Tomb in Siberia reveals humans were using cannabis 2800 years ago
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles