MIYAZAKI (Kyodo) The owner of six stud bulls in Miyazaki Prefecture agreed Friday to slaughter them to contain a foot-and-mouth epidemic in the prefecture, reversing his earlier opposition to the cull.
Nagahisa Komoda, 72, accepted the precautionary measure at a meeting with Miyazaki Gov. Hideo Higashikokubaru.
Komoda's decision puts an end to the twists and turns since late June over the fate of the six remaining bulls that need to be culled, after some 289,000 cows and pigs had been slaughtered by the end of last month.
Higashikokubaru advised Komoda to slaughter the bulls in late June, but retracted the advice later after the owner asked that they spared as an exception. In response to the central government's opposition to any exceptional treatment, Higashikokubaru changed his stance and asked the owner to accept the advice Thursday.