Agriculture minister Takebe must resign: JCP

The Japanese Communist Party has demanded that Agriculture and Fisheries minister Takebe Tsutomu resign for his negligence of taking measures on the question of the cows infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Miyamoto Takeshi (JCP) proposed this at the House of Councilors Budget Committee meeting on January 31.

In reply to Miyamoto, the ministry said that the damage of dairy farmers and related businesses caused by cow infection with BSE reaches 220 billion yen (about 1.69 billion dollars) in September-December 2001; 63.3 billion yen for dairy farmers, 54.0-64.0 billion yen for roast meat dealers, and others.

Ignoring warnings made before September 10 when the first BSE-infected cow was found in Japan, the government has taken no anti-BSE measures, and even after that Takebe didn't try to inspect cows, Miyamoto said.

"Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro dismissed Foreign Minister Tanaka Makiko. But it was Agriculture minister Takebe who must be immediately dismissed for misgovernment," Miyamoto stressed.

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Organizations of farmers and consumers demanded that the government pay a 2.45 billion yen (about 1.88 million dollars) bill in compensation for damages caused by the ministry's incompetent steps on BSE.

The bill represents 665 dairy farmers in 18 prefectures. The National Federation of Farmers Movement and the National Campaign for Defense of the People's Food and Health backed this up.

A farmer growing 1,000 beef cattle and 3,000 calves in Tochigi Pref. said, "Cattle which I sold for 500,000 or 600,000 yen per head before, now get 100,000 or 120,000 yen at the market. I can hardly go on with my business with the government compensation of just 200,000 yen per cow." He demand 130 million yen in compensation from the government.

JCP Dietmember Matsumoto Zenmei encouraged the farmers' action and urged the government to immediately compensate for losses.

The four opposition parties, including the JCP, are jointly calling for the enactment of an emergency law to help stockbreeders suffering from losses caused by BSE. (end)