Wagyu Genetics

The Japanese breed is a specialist beef breed considered the worlds finest beef. An ideal breed for farmers wanting to target the high-end specialist market through box schemes, local restaurants, farm shops and butchers. Wagyu beef is renowned for its highly marbled, extremely high-quality premium beef.

The Wagyu offers calving ease and carcass quality above and beyond other beef cattle breeds. Crossbreeding with Wagyu genetics into commercial beef herds will show excellent improvements in meat quality with a finer texture, increased marbling and decrease in subcutaneous fat.

The Wagyu breed is a particularly docile and gentle natured breed making it easy to manage.

Wagyu Characteristics

The term Wagyu refers to the four native breeds of Japanese cattle, the dominant Japanese Black, Japanese Red, Japanese Poll and Japanese Shorthorn. “Wagyu” “Wa” means Japanese and “gyu” means cow.

Originally used as agricultural draft cattle, selected for their endurance. They were favoured as draft animals for their intra-muscular fat cells which led to uniquely marbled beef with outstanding flavour. Revered in Japan, the government banned any exports until the 1970s, when bloodlines went first to the USA, and then later to Australia.

The breed arrived in the UK in 2011 and the herdbook was created in 2014. Wagyu beef contains high levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and an improved ratio of monounsaturated compared to saturated fats compared to other breeds.

Mature females grow to around 125 cm and weigh 480-560kg while males reach 140 cm and weigh 700-950kg.

Breed benefits:

• Reputation for producing some of the world’s finest beef
• high levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids
• Both purebred and crossbred progeny command a premium
• Uniquely marbled meat with a high proportion of healthy fatty acids
• Docility
• Extremely easy calving

Website: http://www.britishwagyu.co.uk/