Most prefectural governments plan to continue testing all cattle for mad cow disease, despite the national government's plan to exclude cows aged up to 20 months possibly by next spring.
According to a Kyodo News survey, 25 of the 47 prefectural governments said they will continue blanket testing to calm consumer concerns, and 21 prefectural governments said they are undecided but are likely to follow suit. Fukushima Prefecture, which has no slaughterhouses, was excluded from the survey.
The findings indicate Japan will in effect continue to test all cattle for the disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and that the government's attempt to review the existing system has gained little ground.