Around 104 tons of beef the government purchased through a program to help farmers cope with mad cow disease did not meet eligibility requirements, farm ministry officials said Saturday.

The government introduced the program in October 2001, a month after mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was detected in Japan.

So far the government has bought roughly 12,600 tons of beef.

The 104 tons were deemed ineligible for being too old, having included bones or other reasons, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry officials.

The ministry is still trying to clarify whether another 464 tons actually met the standards but has been hampered by insufficient documentation, the officials said.

The government began checking its beef stocks after revelations that now-disbanded Snow Brand Foods Co. and other companies abused the buyback scheme by repackaging imported beef as domestic.

A ministry panel has been deliberating whether to release the names of the companies that have sold ineligible beef.

The findings come as a special law requiring nationwide testing of dead cattle for mad cow disease took effect this week. More than a third of prefectural governments have failed to comply with the regulation.

The new law requires investigations when cows aged 2 or older have either been slaughtered or died of apparent natural causes.

According to the farm ministry, 16 prefectural governments have not begun testing.