Foot-and-mouth claims prize bull

TOKYO: One of Japan's most prized stud bulls has been infected with foot-and-mouth disease, the Government said yesterday, as the country's first outbreak in a decade continues to devastate livestock.

The discovery was a blow to the southern prefecture of Miyazaki, which evacuated the region's six top seed bulls, including the affected animal, to a special facility to keep them away from the disease, which has hit more than 100 farms in the area.

The highly contagious virus has brought to a halt all Japanese beef and pork exports for the past month and crippled the beef industry in Miyazaki.

The six bulls are the only remaining breeding animals for the once highly sought-after Miyazaki beef, as the foot-and-mouth outbreak, which began last month, has forced the cull of 49 other seed bulls.

The other five animals have so far tested negative for the disease.

Usually, all bulls and pigs kept with infected animals are culled, but officials kept the five remaining seed bulls under observation for a week in an effort to preserve the premium Miyazaki beef strain, Kyodo said.

The news came as officials prepared to slaughter 205,000 animals in Miyazaki - 50,000 cows and 155,000 pigs.