BRITISH WAGYU ASSURED SCHEME

 
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It all started wHEN…

……. the British Wagyu Breeders Association (WBA) launched its new British Wagyu Assurance Scheme on 1st July 2020. With a branded tissue punch ear tag and sire verification at its core, the novel scheme unites all parts of the supply chain in assuring the integrity of the British Wagyu brand.

All rearers, growers, finishers, processors and retailers are able to benefit from membership of the scheme as consumer demand for premium British Wagyu-assured beef grows – backed up by the distinctive logo on packaging. Financing comes through through agreements with the WBA’s major tag and DNA partners, from logo royalties and membership fees.

WBA Director, Chris Dickinson, North Netherscales Farm, Skelton, Penrith says: “This is a hugely exciting time for the premium end of the beef industry with customers demanding not only superior eating quality but also animals that are fully traceable and reared to the highest welfare standards. The new British Wagyu assurance scheme puts out a very strong marker.”

 The principles of the scheme are:

·         All animals DNA sire verified to a registered Fullblood Wagyu bull

·         Dams either dairy-bred or native breeds

·         All animals born in the United Kingdom

·         All animals tagged with a Caisley British Wagyu-branded DNA tissue-punch tag

·         All animals BVD tested virus negative

·         All farms to be working towards whole-life assurance (Red Tractor, QMS or FAWL)

·         Minimum age at slaughter 22 months; no maximum age

·         No bull beef

 The scheme will:

·         Lead the industry in terms of traceability, animal welfare and consumer trust

·         Enhance the integrity and value of premium Wagyu beef

·         Increase the profile and demand for British Wagyu

AUTUMN 2026 - ROLL OUT TO SCOTLAND & WALES… 

Warrendale Wagyu has made great strides in not only accelerating the growth of Wagyu cattle but also in marketing British Wagyu beef through the retail, wholesale, restaurant and online sectors. A huge part of this is the integrity of the product, its traceability and its branding - many of you will be familiar with the British Wagyu logo used in marketing and on packaging in store.

 We all know that we have a great product and that we have developed industry-leading animal health and welfare protocols as part of our integrated supply chain. We do, however, need to actively demonstrate this to the wider industry and to the consumer, and this is where independent assessment comes in.

 Warrendale Wagyu has therefore been working with the British Wagyu Association (BWA) to put together a set of British Wagyu standards and put in place a process to have these checked as a ‘bolt-on’ to farmers’ regular farm assurance assessment.

 As you may know, for the past year, we have been working with Intertek SAI Global to carry out this work - mainly across Red Tractor farms in England but also across some dairies and other farms in Wales and Scotland.

 Intertek SAI Global will continue to deliver this work. However, a number of farmers have asked whether Farm Assured Welsh Livestock (FAWL) in Wales and Food Integrity Assurance (FIA) in Scotland, who provide auditing and certification services for the QMS schemes, could undertake this role instead. This would help align the British Wagyu Scheme with the devolved Cattle and Sheep assurance schemes operating within those regions.

 I am pleased to tell you that we now have an agreement in place so both FAWL and FIA can carry out the British Wagyu ‘bolt-on’ at the same time as the FAWL or QMS assessments. This should therefore avoid any duplication and make it as 'farmer-friendly' and cost-effective as possible. The cost of the basic bolt-on (£36+VAT) will continue to be met through farmers’ current British Wagyu commercial membership, so there will be no additional charge.

 We are planning to roll this out from early autumn (provisionally 1st September 2026). In Scotland, FIA will be deploying a self-submission assessment methodology via FIA’s auditee portal which will be completed by all members. In addition to this, FIA will conduct randomised on-farm checks to verify compliance. In Wales, this will be done by FAWL assessors at the same time as your regular on-farm assessment.

 We are grateful to the knowledgeable and professional team of assessors that Intertek SAI Global, FAWL and FIA have in place to carry this out. They generally come from a farming background and are there to make the whole process as straightforward as possible.

 Assurance Scheme Contacts

If you have any questions as to the British Wagyu Assurance roll-out, you can contact:

 Should you have any questions, please get in touch with your dedicated contact in the Warrendale Production Team or speak to BWA’s Richard Saunders. This is an important next step in driving forward British Wagyu’s commitment to safeguarding our fantastic product as well as our premium position in the marketplace.

Please click HERE for the full rules, HERE for the new logo, HERE for the new-look branded Caisley tag, and HERE for how to order the various Caisley tag combos.