BRITISH WAGYU OPEN MEETING 14 OCTOBER - RSVP BY 19/09

WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US…..

We are pleased to invite you to an Open Meeting being held this coming autumn at the Tollgate Brewery on the National Trust’s Calke Abbey Estate on the Leicestershire/ Derbyshire border on 14th October 10.30am– 2pm. Please click HERE for full information. This is an informal ‘Open Meeting’ to learn more about the British Wagyu Association (BWA), who we are and what our future aims are. We also want to find out more about what you are doing with Wagyu and how the BWA might best support you in the future. All interested parties including breeders, producers, butchers, farm shops etc – whether currently BWA members or not - are welcome to attend! RSVP by 19th September

WARRENDALE WAGYU REACHES 100,000TH CALF MILESTONE

WARRENDALE WAGYU REACHES 100,000TH CALF MILESTONE

Cameron Steel pictured with his Wagyu F1 calves at Anns Hill

 August 1st 2025 marked a major milestone for British Wagyu with the 100,000th Wagyu calf undergoing DNA sire verification for Warrendale Wagyu’s integrated supply chain. This landmark figure underlines the growth of Wagyu births over the last 10 years: in 2014 there were just 2,405 births according to BCMS (British Cattle Movement Service) whilst 45,232 Wagyu-sired calves were born in Great Britain in 2024. This increase has been underpinned not only by the number of farmers raising Wagyu (now around 1,000 farms in the UK) but also by the visibility and growth trajectory of Wagyu beef in the wholesale and retail spheres.

 With one of the core standards of the British Wagyu Assurance scheme being that all calves are sire verified to a Fullblood Wagyu bull, farmers use a branded British Wagyu eartag from Caisley for their calves which releases a tissue vial for DNA testing. This is now the 100,000th vial that has gone through the system with the calf in question being a Wagyu-cross Holstein bull calf born on 15th July for James & Vanessa Steel and their son Cameron at Anns Hill Farm, Bridekirk, Cockermouth, Cumbria.

 The Steels run a 600-cow dairy herd producing around 400 Wagyu calves per year. All cows are genomically tested with the top 40% served to sexed Holstein and the remainder to Wagyu. Commenting, Vanessa Steel says: “We’ve been with Warrendale for two years now and can’t fault the scheme or the collections. As a dairy farmer, we find Wagyu is a great breed to work with as calves are not only born easily with a low birthweight but are also very healthy.” After three days in individual pens the calves are penned in batches of ten and are collected at 2-3 weeks of age by an established group of local rearers.

 Warrendale Wagyu is a Yorkshire-based Wagyu beef business, currently working in partnership with farmers across the UK. Its unique integrated supply chain is founded on the principle of producing the highest quality British Wagyu Beef consistently and in a sustainable manner. Wagyu is renowned as one of the best tasting breeds in the World and famed for its highly-marbled delicious and tender beef.

 DNA testing ensures full ‘farm-to-fork’ traceability and product integrity with the British Wagyu logo and stamp of authenticity displayed on product packaging for retailers including Aldi and Waitrose.

 For dairy farmers, using Wagyu genetics not only gives them a premium-value calf but has the added advantage of small birthweights, vigorous calves as well as comparatively short gestation lengths.

BRITISH WAGYU - BRITAIN'S LEADING BEEF BRAND

British Wagyu – Britain’s leading beef brand

British Wagyu has made great strides not only in accelerating the breeding of Wagyu cattle but in marketing British Wagyu beef through the retail, wholesale, foodservice and e-commerce space. A large part of this success lies in the integrity of the product, its traceability and its branding with many customers now familiar with the British Wagyu Assured logo used in marketing and on retail packaging.  

Read on as we continue to delve into British Wagyu in our series of articles in The Grocer over the next 12 months in order to give you greater insight into Wagyu beef!

Wagyu beef is naturally marbled

 Where does Wagyu come from?

Renowned as the world’s luxury beef - and famed for its exceptional marbling, tenderness and eating quality - Wagyu is a breed of cattle originating in Japan which, since the late 1970s, has spread far and wide to dominate the culinary scene globally, winning numerous awards worldwide. Wagyu is synonymous with luxury beef.

Quality & Branding

Look out for the British Wagyu Assured logo on packaging. This means that the beef comes from farmers who are not only Members of the British Wagyu Association (BWA) but have adopted our set of high standards around animal health and welfare as well as quality and traceability. All our farms are Red Tractor assured (or equivalent) and these standards are independently audited on-farm. This is Wagyu but with a British twist – slow grown by UK farmers and predominantly pasture-raised according to BWA standards, and with the UK’s reputation for world-leading animal health and welfare.

British Wagyu Assured logo

 Where can I buy?

Aldi & Waitrose offer British Wagyu Assured products in the retail space through their long-term contracts with the UK’s leading producer, Warrendale Wagyu. Look out, too, for British Wagyu from a myriad of farm shops, wholesalers, butchers and online boxed beef schemes to name a few - many with their own branding and USPs. Check out the WHERE TO BUY section on our website.

British Wagyu-branded sirloin steak in Aldi

Waitrose No.1 Range with British Wagyu branding

 What exactly is Marbling?

Wagyu cattle have a natural propensity to produce beef that is beautifully marbled. Before tractors came along, cattle (we might call them ‘oxen’) were used as draught animals to pull carts and plough rice fields in Japan so needed to lay down IMF (intra-muscular fat) to give them slow-release energy throughout the day. Wagyu fat melts at a lower temperature than butter to give the beef a juicy, tender and delicious flavour. In the UK, marbling is measured with a Meat Image Japan camera to independently verify the marbling and to give our beef a Marble Score rating (generally on a scale of 1-10+).

Beautifully marbled Wagyu beef

Why buy British Wagyu

The UK imports Wagyu from a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Chile - and the quality is indeed excellent. Many consumers however do prefer to ‘Buy British’ – they tell us they like to keep food miles to a minimum, prefer pasture-fed animals and put a lot of trust in British farmers to produce quality beef that suits the UK palette.

Is Wagyu Beef Healthy?

Wagyu beef has higher levels of oleic acid (omega 9), a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that makes up about 52.9% of its fat content, compared to other beef. This fat is similar to olive oil and is known for promoting heart health. Oleic acid lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and raises HDL (good) cholesterol, helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Wagyu beef's signature tenderness and rich flavour also stems from its high oleic acid content, which lowers the melting point of fat and enhances juiciness. In May 2025, the World Wagyu Council published ‘Health Benefits of Wagyu Beef’ – click HERE to read the full article.

 What’s next?

Find out more about British Wagyu in The Grocer over the next 12 months as we delve further into these and other topics to give you greater insight into Wagyu beef! Please get in touch with British Wagyu Company Secretary, Richard Saunders, if you’d like to know more...

E: info@britishwagyu.co.uk W: www.britishwagyu.co.uk

WAGYU OPEN MEETING 14TH OCTOBER

Invitation to Wagyu Open Meeting, Tuesday 14th October 2025

We are pleased to invite you to an Open Meeting being held this coming autumn at the Tollgate Brewery on the National Trust’s Calke Abbey Estate on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border on 14th October 10.30am – 2pm.

Tollgate Brewery

This is an informal ‘Open Meeting’ to learn more about the British Wagyu Association (BWA), who we are and what our future aims are. We also want to find out more about what you are doing with Wagyu and how the BWA might best support you in the future. All interested parties including breeders, producers, butchers, farm shops etc – whether currently BWA members or not – are welcome to attend.

  • When: Tuesday 14th October

  • Where: Tollgate Brewery, Southwood House Farm, Staunton Lane, Calke, Derbyshire, LE65 1RG

    PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME 

    • 10.30-11-00 Arrival, registration, refreshments

    • 11.00-11.30 Brewery tour

    • 11.30-1.00 Presentations, Q&A

    • 1.00 Pizza n Pint

    • 1.30/2.00 Finish

      We are hoping to have a full turnout of the BWA Board to hear your views. Please note, this is an ‘open’ event by invitation - all are welcome but we do need RSVPs in advance, please.

      All expressions of interest to Richard Saunders info@britishwagyu.co.uk.

      We look forward to seeing you in October!

      Yours sincerely,

       Jim Bloom, Chris Dickinson, Jess Edwards & Hugh Pocock (BWA Directors)

      Richard Saunders (BWA Company Secretary) 

      RSVP to info@britishwagyu.co.uk by 19th September with the names of those attending

SUMMER 2025 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW

Please click HERE to view the latest British Wagyu Newsletter packed full of news, views and reports on all things Wagyu. Members will have received their copy through the post in early July for the new membership year (01/07/25-30/06/26) but anyone wishing to join or to receive a printed copy should email info@britishwagyu.co.uk. Wishing you a good read!

BRITISH WAGYU - WHY THE HYPE? THE STORY BEHIND BRITAIN'S LEADING BEEF BRAND

British Wagyu – why the hype? What’s the story behind Britain’s leading beef brand?

Renowned as the world’s luxury beef - and famed for its exceptional marbling, tenderness and eating quality - British Wagyu has been all over the news lately. We’ve all heard about its origins in Japan but how has this national treasure in the Land of the Rising Sun come to have such an influence over here? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer but British Wagyu’s Richard Saunders sets about answering some of the key questions….

Wagyu beef

 How come the huge growth?

One of the biggest surprises is the resurgence in sales of fresh of beef (*1) in the UK market. This strong growth reflects a number of factors: the ‘eat less but eat best’ phenomenon, the rise in at-home ‘fine dining’ supermarket ranges, the cooking-from-scratch trend, and the overall dissatisfaction with meat-free options – whether it be on food miles/sustainability grounds, cost pressures or greater awareness of UPFs (ultra-processed foods) and HFSS products (high in fat, sugar and salt). Let’s also remember that beef is nutrient-dense and has one ingredient (BEEF!). A combination of all these factors leads the consumer (and retail buyer) to seek out premium British Wagyu.

*1 Beef Sales up £242.1 Million (+8.5%) or +6.8 Million kilos in the past 12 months. Source AHDB

Wagyu in Numbers?

Last year, over 45,000 Wagyu calves were born in the Great Britain – compare this to 2,405 ten years ago (2014 figures) with growth up 25% year-on-year (*2). Today there are over 1,000 farms rearing our cattle and Wagyu is now the UK’s 8th most popular breed; this sounds like a lot but Wagyu only represents 2-3% of the market so retains its niche appeal.

*2. 45,232 Wagyu calves born in the 12 months to end March 2025. Source British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).

British Wagyus out at pasture

 What is Wagyu?

Wagyu is a breed of cattle originating in Japan which, since the late 1970s, has spread far and wide to pretty much dominate the culinary scene globally, winning numerous awards worldwide. Wagyu is synonymous for luxury beef.

 And Marbling?

Wagyu cattle have a natural propensity to produce beef that is beautifully marbled. Before mechanized farming, it is said that Wagyu cattle were used as draught animals to pull carts so needed to lay down IMF (intra-muscular fat) to give them slow-release energy throughout the day. Wagyu fat melts at a lower temperature than butter to give the beef a juicy, tender and delicious flavour. In the UK, we generally measure this marbling with a Meat Image Japan camera to independently verify the marbling and to give our beef a Marble Score rating (generally on a scale of 1-10+).

Wagyu beef is naturally marbled

 Now available in the UK & Ireland?

Aldi & Waitrose offer British Wagyu Assured products in the retail space through their long-term contracts with the UK’s leading producer, Warrendale Wagyu. More recently, Tesco have entered the market and there are offerings too from Sainsbury’s and M&S. Look out too for British Wagyu from a myriad of farm shops, wholesalers, butchers and online boxed beef schemes to name a few - many with their own branding and USPs.

British Wagyu-branded sirloin steak in Aldi

 What does ‘British Wagyu Assured’ mean?

This means that the beef comes from farmers who are not only Members of the British Wagyu Association (BWA) but have adopted our set of standards which include protocols around animal health and welfare as well as quality and traceability with all farms Red Tractor assured (or equivalent). Standards are independently audited. Look out for our logo on packaging.

Waitrose No.1 Range with British Wagyu branding

 Is this really Wagyu?

Yes, it is. But with a British twist – slow grown and predominantly pasture-raised according to BWA standards with a strong emphasis on animal health and welfare. Wagyu beef is defined as being sired by a registered Fullblood (pedigree) bull so the Wagyu content is guaranteed a minimum 50% and anything up to 100%. This is the same ‘custom of trade’ adopted by all other UK breeds.

Why buy British Wagyu?

For sure, the UK imports Wagyu from a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Chile - and the quality is indeed excellent. Many consumers however do prefer to ‘Buy British’ – they tell us they like to keep food miles to a minimum, prefer pasture-fed animals and put a lot of trust in British farmers to produce quality beef that suits the UK palette.

Is Wagyu Beef Healthy?

Wagyu beef has higher levels of oleic acid (omega 9), a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that makes up about 52.9% of its fat content, compared to other beef. This fat is similar to olive oil and is known for promoting heart health. Oleic acid lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and raises HDL (good) cholesterol, helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Wagyu beef's signature tenderness and rich flavour also stems from its high oleic acid content, which lowers the melting point of fat and enhances juiciness. In May 2025, the World Wagyu Council published ‘Health Benefits of Wagyu Beef’ – click HERE to read the full article.

 What’s next?

British Wagyu has made great strides in not only accelerating the uptake of Wagyu cattle but of marketing British Wagyu beef through the retail, wholesale, foodservice and e-commerce sectors. A huge part of this success lies in the integrity of the product, its traceability and its branding with many customers now familiar with the British Wagyu Assured logo used in marketing and on retail packaging.  

British Wagyu Assured logo

 And finally…What’s this about massage and beer?

Find out about this and much more on British Wagyu in The Grocer over the next 12 months as we delve into these and other topics in greater depth to give you further insights into Wagyu beef!

 Richard Saunders is British Wagyu Association Company Secretary. E: info@britishwagyu.co.uk

Grateful thanks are extended to sources including The Grocer, BCMS, AHDB and the World Wagyu Council in compiling the above 

www.britishwagyu.co.uk   •   info@britishwagyu.co.uk

BRITISH WAGYU ASSURANCE PARTNERS WITH INTERTEK SAI GLOBAL

BRITISH WAGYU ASSURANCE PARTNERS WITH INTERTEK SAI GLOBAL

British Wagyu has made great strides in not only accelerating the breeding of Wagyu cattle but of marketing British Wagyu beef through the retail, wholesale, foodservice and e-commerce sectors. A huge part of this success lies in the integrity of the product, its traceability and its branding with many customers now familiar with the British Wagyu Assured logo used in marketing and on retail packaging.  

British Wagyu Assured logo

Starting initially with the Warrendale Wagyu integrated supply chain and its 800+ farmer partners, from June 2025 British Wagyu has begun working with Intertek SAI Global (ISAI) - the UK's leading farm assurance body - to roll out an independent audit of the British Wagyu Assured scheme and its industry-leading traceability, animal health and welfare, and quality STANDARDS.

A batch of Wagyu-sired calves sporting distinctive British Wagyu tags

Says Warrendale Production Director, Jamie Brownrigg, “This is an important next step in driving forward our British Wagyu business and to ensure we safeguard our fantastic product as well as our premium position in the marketplace. We have worked hard to make this as farmer-friendly and cost-effective as possible so I'm pleased to tell you that the British Wagyu assessment will be carried out, as far as practically possible, at the same time as the usual farm audit, with the cost of the basic bolt-on met through the current British Wagyu commercial membership meaning there will be no additional charge to farmers.” Farmers will also receive a certificate of conformity - click HERE for an example.

Caisley British-Wagyu branded ear tags with vials sent for DNA/BVD testing

Aldi packs featuring the BWA-Assured label

British Wagyu-branded products in Waitrose’s No.1 Range

BRITISH WAGYU FEATURED IN LATEST NBA MAGAZINE

Great to see a double-page feature on British Wagyu in the latest National Beef Association (NBA) magazine Spring 2025 edition. Please click HERE to read the full article covering Market Comment, Director Appointment and British Wagyu Assurance. Grateful thanks are extended to the NBA - for further information, please visit www.nationalbeefassociation.com

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WAGYU BEEF

Health Benefits of Wagyu Beef - please click HERE for an excellent consumer-friendly summary of Wagyu beef and fat written in a popular science format. Brought to you by members of the World Wagyu Council working in collaboration, it dispels many of the myths around fat and instead espouses the importance of ‘good’ fats as part of a healthy and balanced diet - all backed up by a plethora of scientific research papers, recommendations for further reading, glossary of terms as well as acknowledgements