The government on Thursday announced that at least 44 more cows were given meat-and-bone meal -- the prime source of mad cow disease -- and other meat-based feed, bringing the number of suspect cows to 8,017 nationwide.
The increase follows the discovery that dairy farms in Aomori and Okinawa prefectures fed the meal to their cows, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said.
The latest discoveries bring to 24 the number of prefectures with dairy farms that use nonvegetable matter to raise cows, it said.
Of the 24, data on the number of cows given meat-and-bone meal and other meat-based feed remains unknown for Hokkaido, Yamagata, Tottori and Saga prefectures, making it extremely likely that the number of affected cows is higher.
The government decided Tuesday to ban the use of meat-and-bone meal and to conduct in-depth tests beginning next Thursday on all beef cattle in Japan regardless of age, to check the spread of the disease.
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