BEEF EXPO PROVIDES BRITISH WAGYU SHOWCASE

BEEF EXPO PROVIDES BRITISH WAGYU SHOWCASE

Beef Expo, the annual flagship beef event organised by the National Beef Association (NBA) saw British Wagyu take centre-stage as a first-time Gold Sponsor on Saturday 27th April at North West Auctions, Cumbria.

L-R Warrendale’s Katrina Donaldson, Melissa Donaldson, Lucy Corner, Dan Morris & Jamie Brownrigg with BWA’s Richard Saunders

In partnership with Warrendale Wagyu, whose integrated Wagyu supply chain continues to go from strength to strength, the event showcased the attributes of the breed through not only its cattle but also alongside a display of its highly-marbled beef. In addition, some 250 people were catered for at the pre-event BBQ on the Friday night where they were served both Wagyu brisket and Wagyu sausages.

Wagyu F1 yearlings

 Cattle on the stand were provided by Jack Thornton of Jack Nook Farm, Barton, Preston, Lancashire. They comprised 4 Wagyu-cross finishing cattle aged around 22 months weighing 700kg together with 4 similarly bred F1 Wagyu-sired yearlings.  

Wagyu finishers in the foreground

 British Wagyu Association Company Secretary Richard Saunders said: “British Wagyu is the fastest growing breed in the UK, and this popularity is being underpinned by the steady rise of beef from the dairy herd. Wagyus are easily born, are vigorous calves and deliver a premium for everyone in the chain. They are proving popular with rearers and growers due to their ease of management whilst finishers are rewarded on marble score. British Wagyu is all about delivering a consistently excellent product to the consumer.”

Busy Wagyu stand at Beef Expo

Friday BBQ

Known for its highly marbled beef, a number of Wagyu cuts and products were on display

NBA CEO Neil Shand (centre) chaired a Food & Farming seminar with l-r Daniel Zeichner (Shadow Defra Minister), Prys Morgan (Director, Kepak), Tim Farron (Lib Dem Defra Spokesman) & Sir Mark Spencer (Farming Minister)

BWA Co Sec Richard Saunders with Farming Minister Mark Spencer

WARRENDALE & BRITISH WAGYU CONFERENCE 19-20 SEPTEMBER

WARRENDALE WAGYU CONFERENCE - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BRITISH WAGYU ASSOCIATION

THURS 19TH – FRI 20TH SEPTEMBER 2024 NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE

All roads lead to Lincolnshire for our two-day conference Thursday 19th to Friday 20th September including an overnight hotel stay on the Thursday.

Delegates at the 2023 Conference in Telford

Venue is the Forest Pines Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort set in 190 acres of beautiful Lincolnshire woodland. Why not tee off from the spectacular, award-winning 27-hole championship golf course, plunge into the fabulous indoor pool or get those knots eased with a massage in the soothing spa?

Building on the hugely successful May 2023 conference held in Shropshire, plans are underway to showcase the British Wagyu & Warrendale Wagyu story with a line-up of top speakers, farm visits, entertainment and, of course, some beautifully marbled British Wagyu beef at our gala dinner! 

PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE

Full arrangements and timings will be confirmed in due course

Day One: Thursday 19th September - Forest Pines Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Ermine St, Broughton, Brigg, DN20 0AQ. Arrival from noon, lunch, afternoon conference followed by drinks reception and gala dinner

Day Two: Friday 20th September - Farm visit courtesy of Gary & Jayne Hancock, Park Farm, Gainsborough Road, Willingham by Stow, Gainsborough, DN21 5JX. Tour of the 1600-head Wagyu growing and finishing enterprise for Warrendale Wagyu’s integrated scheme including talks on nutrition, health and general management. Arrival and refreshments from 9.30am, 10am farm tour followed by lunch. Day concludes 2pm approx

ADDITIONAL VISITS

Farm visit at Wyndford Wagyu 2023

For international guests and other visitors, there is the possibility of extending the conference with a visit to Wyndford Wagyu’s Fullblood enterprise in Shropshire on the Wednesday (18th) and/or to Dovecote Park’s processing facility on the Friday (20th) afternoon (2.30-4.30pm approx).

INVITATION & HOW TO BOOK

The conference is open to Warrendale partner farmers, British Wagyu Association members and invited guests. If you would like to attend, please use the booking link previously emailed to BWA Members and Warrendale Partners/Farmers. For further information, please email Richard Saunders info@britishwagyu.co.uk.

TEN-YEAR TREND REVEALS HUGE GROWTH OF BRITISH WAGYU

TEN-YEAR TREND REVEALS HUGE GROWTH OF BRITISH WAGYU

• Figures double year-on-year

• 35,550 births in 2023 compared to 17,083 in 2022

 Figures released by the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) for 2023 show that British Wagyu, known for its highly marbled premium beef, has more than doubled its numbers on the year. The figures, for beef cattle born in England, Scotland & Wales, reveal over 35,000 Wagyu-sired calves were born in 2023. Of these, 33347 were crossbred (sired by a Wagyu bull) and 2203 Purebred or Fullblood - totalling 35,550 head of Wagyu animals when compared to 17,083 in 2022.

Wagyu crossbred calves sporting their British Wagyu-branded tags

Wagyu Crossbred Births 2023 - Source BCMS

Wagyu Purebred/Fullblood Births 2023 - Source BCMS

With a decade of BCMS figures now available, the ten-year trend is one of huge growth. Just 2,405 Wagyu-sired calves were born in 2014 compared to 35,550 10 years later with the breed now representing 1.8% of the circa 1.9 million beef-sired calves born in Great Britain annually.

British Wagyu Total GB Births 2014-2023 - Source BCMS

 Says WBA Director Chris Dickinson: “Consumer demand for the world’s luxury beef shows no sign of slowing and it’s great to see British Wagyu numbers continuing to grow year-on-year. The profile of the breed has risen dramatically over the past decade and it is the easy-care nature of the cattle combined with a premium return that has attracted so many new farmers and breeders. It also taps into the expansion of beef from the dairy herd backed by integrated beef schemes like Warrendale’s. British Wagyu has become a significant player in the UK beef industry and as both a Wagyu producer and British Wagyu Association Director there is still great potential ahead.”

 The figures are backed by a British Wagyu quality assured branded beef scheme now entering its third year alongside MIJ (Meat Image Japan) carcase camera technology which takes digital images from the cut ribeye surface to objectively measure marbling score, marbling fineness and ribeye area giving an overall DMs (Digital Marble Score) for each body of beef.

 NOTES:

GB Totals 2014-2023

2405 (2014), 5699 (2019), 9435 (2020), 13457 (2021), 17083 (2022), 35550 (2023)

WAGYU - THE BEEF TO BEAT

Wagyu - the Beef to Beat. Click HERE to read Texas Tech University Professor Dale Woerner’s insight into the taste, tenderness and healthy eating qualities of Wagyu beef. We are grateful to the American Wagyu Association for providing this News Release. www.wagyu.org

MIJ CAMERA IN ACTION

MIJ CAMERA IN ACTION

8th January saw a visit to Dovecote Park’s processing facility in Lincolnshire to look at the MIJ (Meat Image Japan) carcase camera in action. The visit was arranged around the availability of AWA (Australian Wagyu Association) carcase camera technician Aaron van den Heuvel, and held on the Monday morning to fit in with the Friday kill for Warrendale Wagyu, thus allowing time for the carcases to chill.

Dovecote Park carcase camera technician grading Warrendale Wagyu crosses using the MIJ Mobile camera. The technician first scans the barcode and then the ribeye ensuring full traceability between the carcase and the animal ID

To be able to get accurate images as well as compare results for different batches, it is important to standardise how and when the camera is used and remove any variables; this includes using the same trained personnel, ensuring accurate cutting at the 5th/6th rib and imaging the carcases at the same time post-slaughter. And to minimise issues such as ‘tearing’ of the ribeye which can make peaks and troughs which reflect the light, and avoid sheen or bone dust on the meat surface – all of which can impact the accuracy of the readings.

Close-up of a typical Wagyu-cross ribeye from Warrendale

What is MIJ?

MIJ (Meat Image Japan) mobile technology in essence consists of two parts: the hardware and the software. The hardware comprises a Google pixel phone, a ‘beak’ or metal casing to surround the phone, a cradle to hold the phone plus a light source. The software processes the image and objectively computes data such as ribeye area, marble fineness/coarseness, fat colour, fat percentage and so on. It also calculates DMs (Digital Marble Score), a composite trait made up of fat percentage, marbling fineness and fat colour. The equipment is portable, quick, easy-to-use and relatively inexpensive.

The MIJ camera delivers an instantaneous image (with ribeye area circled in green) as well as real-time carcase data. Here with a DMs (Digital Marble Score) of 7.39

 Says British Wagyu Company Secretary Richard Saunders: “MIJ is the globally recognized, scientific leader in the objective measurement of beef.  In Wagyu, marbling is king so by collaborating with MIJ, and through our partnership with the Australian Wagyu Association, the British Wagyu industry benefits from world-leading know-how and technology for measuring marbling in our Fullblood and crossbred cattle.”

Why is the MIJ data useful?

In essence, the MIJ camera gives you real-time information on the carcase. Commercial Wagyu schemes may choose to reward the producer with a marble score premium; others may wish to differentiate their product by quality and price.

 But there is a wider benefit: Dr Kuchida, one of the main Japanese researchers for MIJ Imaging, has proven that not only is marbling fineness a heritable trait, but it also directly correlates to tenderness, taste, palatability, and visual value.

 Furthermore, data can be linked back into ABRI’s Breedplan Performance Recording system to aid genetic improvement. Achieving marbling in Wagyu beef is determined by the genetics of the animal and the nutrition in the feeding programme. Having real-time MIJ carcase data on top of standard measurements such as daily liveweight gain, killing-out percentage, days to slaughter, carcase weight, fat class and conformation (EUROP grid), means a wealth of knowledge to drive improvement, performance and profitability through future breeding decisions to determine the animals that have a high potential for marbling.

 AWA Chief Executive Matt McDonagh says: “There’s no doubt that the MIJ camera has been pivotal to the rapid genetic progress being made in Australian Wagyu. Since we started using the MIJ cameras in 2018, we now have over 30,000 Fullblood carcases within the AWA genetic evaluation system, and growing rapidly as more cameras are deployed. The strength of the camera-driven data shone through in the heritability of the trait involved (the amount of the measured variance that can be attributed to genetics). Since the adoption of MIJ, the heritability for marbling traits in Australian Wagyu has risen from about 0.3 (representing 30% genetic influence) up to 0.6 (60% of genetic influence). In Australia, marbling results in Fullblood Wagyu have gone from 7.3 average marbling score (DMs) to almost 8 just in the last 5 years.”

Representatives from Dovecote Park, Warrendale Wagyu and British Wagyu pictured with Aaron van den Heuvel (Australian Wagyu Association) during the visit on 8th January

 In the UK, the MIJ camera is now entering its third full year since its first introduction in 2021 with 3 MIJ mobile cameras currently in use, and a number of orders and expressions of interest in the pipeline. Over 10,000 images have so far been captured. Adds Aaron van den Heuvel: “During my visit, it was great to see how passionate British Wagyu is about MIJ, and how serious everyone takes their roles and the goals they are wanting to achieve. It’s a real credit to the UK members, producers and processing personnel.”

 To enquire about the MIJ camera please contact Richard Saunders info@britishwagyu.co.uk or Aaron van den Heuvel aaron@wagyu.org.au

AUSTRALIAN WAGYU EDGE CONFERENCE - NEW INTERNATIONAL TOUR OPTIONS

APRIL 2024 - WAGYUEDGE CONFERENCE & INTERNATIONAL TOUR

Wagyu Edge 2023 Branded Beef Awards Dinner

With the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA) annual WagyuEdge Conference in Cairns is less than three months away, here are some NEW international wrap-around tour options. There are now three tour options: Full Tour, Northern Australia Tour or Southern Australia Tour (full details below). Please note bookings close 2nd February.

The 2023 Wagyu Edge Elite Sale took place on board this ship

With the WagyuEdge conference taking place in Cairns, Queensland from the 10th to the 12th of April 2024, to make the trip more worthwhile for international delegates, the AWA has designed a two-week tour with a stopover in Cairns in the middle.

AWA Marketing & Comms Manager, Emily Rabone, writes: “We have had several requests from international members who are unable to spare 3-weeks away from their operation as to whether they can join for the week before or the week after, but not both. Originally, we didn’t have the capacity to offer this however we are pleased to let you know that we can now give you this opportunity.”

Places on the tour are limited so we would suggest you register as soon as you can, our website contains all of the information you should need. Below is some further information on the costs of attending only 1 week.

FULL TOUR REGISTRATION

What’s Included?

·        Australian Tour: 2 to 18 April 2024

·        All meals for the duration of the tour

·        All domestic Australian travel

·        WagyuEdge24 Full Conference Registration & Accommodation in Cairns

What’s Not Included?

·        International airfares to and from Australia (delegates are required to be in Sydney NSW for the start of the tour)

Pricing Information

Twin Share: $12,500 AUD incl. tax and fees (per person)

Single: $13,500 AUD incl. tax and fees (per person)

Deposit: $3,000 AUD (deposit required to confirm place on tour)

SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA TOUR REGISTRATION

What’s Included?

·        Australian Tour: 2 to 9 April 2024

·        All meals for the dates noted above

·        All domestic Australian travel for dates noted above (starting Sydney NSW, ending Cairns QLD)

What’s Not Included?

·        International airfares to and from Australia (delegates are required to be in Sydney NSW for the start of the tour)

·        WagyuEdge24 Full Conference Registration & Accommodation in Cairns

Pricing Information

Twin Share: $6,500 AUD incl. tax and fees (per person)

Single: $7,000 AUD incl. tax and fees (per person)

Deposit: $3,000 AUD (deposit required to confirm place on tour)

NORTHERN AUSTRALIA TOUR REGISTRATION

What’s Included?

·        Australian Tour: 13 to 18 April 2024

·        All meals for the dates noted above

·        All domestic Australian travel for dates noted above (starting Cairns QLD, ending Brisbane QLD)

What’s Not Included?

·        International airfares to and from Australia (delegates are required to be in Cairns QLD for the start of this part of the tour)

·        WagyuEdge24 Full Conference Registration & Accommodation in Cairns

Pricing Information

Twin Share: $3,500 AUD incl. tax and fees (per person)

Single: $4,000 AUD incl. tax and fees (per person)

Deposit: $2,000 AUD (deposit required to confirm place on tour)

Important Dates

Bookings Close: 2 February 2024

Full Payments Due: 1 March 2024

BOOK NOW

VIEW FULL ITINERARY

If you wish to do one of the weeklong options, please use the booking form and email me what you would like to do so that we can book you accordingly. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We look forward to welcoming many of you to Australia in April.

Kind Regards,
Emily Rabone

Marketing and Communications Manager
Australian Wagyu Association
Ph: 0437 388 481
Email: emily@wagyu.org.au 

LATEST BRITISH WAGYU NEWSLETTER RELEASED

Please click HERE for the Winter 2023/24 edition of the British Wagyu Association newsletter. Check out the news and views from the UK Wagyu industry as well as further afield

The latest 12-page British Wagyu Newsletter was posted out to BWA Members over Christmas. Please email info@britishwagyu.co.uk if you’d like to receive a complimentary copy!

LATEST BCMS FIGURES REFLECT WAGYU GROWTH

BCMS FIGURES REFECT CONTINUED GROWTH OF WAGYU

Wagyu-cross weanlings

Figures released by the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) for the first nine months of 2023 reveal a marked increase in births of British Wagyu-sired calves. Known for its highly marbled premium beef, the period January to September saw 23,808 births in England, Wales & Scotland compared to 17,083 in the whole of the previous year. Of these, 22071 were crossbred (sired by a Wagyu bull) and 1737 purebred or Fullblood. The continued growth and impact of Wagyu is reflected in the fact that this already represents 1.5% of the 1.62 million beef-sired calves born in Great Britain Jan-Sept 2023 – up from 1% in 2022.

 You will find a breakdown by country below:

England: 14,355 crossbreds; 968 pure/full

Scotland: 3,564 crossbreds; 400 pure/full

Wales: 4,152 crossbreds; 369 pure/full

Source BCMS Figs Jan-Sept 2023

 Look out for the full 2023 BCMS figures once data is released early next year as more and more beef and dairy farmers turn to Wagyu on the back of demand from consumers and retailers.

USA HOSTS 'EXCELLENT' WORLD WAGYU CONFERENCE

WORLD WAGYU CONFERENCE - TEXAS, USA, SEPTEMBER 2023

British Wagyu Association (BWA) Director, Chris Dickinson, attended the World Wagyu Council Conference 24-31 September which was preceded by the American Wagyu Conference held in Texas, USA 22nd-24th.

Over 50 international delegates from a dozen countries attended the World Wagyu Conference & Tour

Chris takes up the story…

I had the great pleasure in September of attending the American Wagyu Association (AmWA) Conference in Texas followed by the World Wagyu Council (WWC) tour where we got to visit different Wagyu businesses in the State. In my role as a Director of the BWA I also sit on the Technical Committee for the WWC and it was great to meet my fellow Council members from around the world and compare thoughts and future goals for the breed.

One of the things I really noticed in the USA is that Wagyu has more notoriety than in the UK. In the restaurants, hotels and bars we visited when we explained we were on the world Wagyu tour they were all aware of what Wagyu beef was, but you would maybe expect that given the fact the United States is the largest consumer of beef and the market is so huge.

The trip kicked off with a four-day conference for the American Wagyu Association welcoming around 500 delegates to the Marriott Hotel, San Antonio. One of my first observations was that there were a lot of producers there with just a handful of cattle and just starting off in the industry -  I later learned that the average herd size of an AmWA Member is around 30. It was also clear that many of the producers were new in to farming or even first-time farmers that have been successful in other areas of business.

Chris Dickinson giving the UK’s ‘Country Update’ to the World Wagyu Council Conference

The conference had a great array of trade stands with everything from feed companies to meat businesses to our very own Wyndford Wagyu from the UK. This was a great way to meet people and create contacts. The conference itself was very impressive with speakers from all around the world and even a sale of the best world genetics. The wide range of talks included ‘Premium Perspectives at the Meat Case: Trends and Insights Into Today’s Consumer’ which underlined the fact that we must continue to connect and expand our reach; and that we can’t just expect consumers to come and find us. The message was that consumers will pay for quality even in a tough market.

Japanese Red (Akaushi) Wagyu cattle

There was also a great history report from former AmWA Chairman, Pete Eshelman, a fascinating character who gave us all a great insight to how the organisation has grown. A former pitcher for the New York Yankees, this followed with a successful business career which led to tasting Wagyu in one of his restaurants and then a passion for farming it on his own ranch. Pete is also Chairman of the WWC.

WWC Chairman Pete Eshelman

The AmWA conference was followed by a five-day trip all around Texas taking in a mixture of tourist activities including Texas A&M college campus, the famous stockyards at Fort Worth and the Alamo and riverwalk in San Antonio. The 50+ delegates also visited a number of Wagyu businesses including genetics companies, meat traders and cattle ranches. On the tour we visited several AI companies who producers supply semen to.

Presentation at Texas A&M Uni

These included Trans Ova Genetics who provide industry-leading reproductive technologies to breeders looking to advance and extend superior genetics. They have forty years of experience, coupled with their commitment to a team approach which they say ensures greater success with the embryo transfer process and has helped them become an industry standard of excellence. There we heard from industry specialists on how Wagyu has helped grow their business and were then treated to some delicious Fullblood wagyu from one of their local customers and then a demonstration of making ice cream using Wagyu fat followed by a discussion on the opportunity presented to make hand creams and other health products. This really opened my eyes to the potential of added value products associated with the strong brand that Wagyu is.

Elgin Breeding Services

One of the visits that really stood out was Deep Oak Ranch in Cameron, TX when the Tour bus pulled up and experienced a real Texas-styled tailgate. There were A&M tents, seating, and more tailgate themed decorations. After the group enjoyed some charcuterie and a quick drink they were promoted to different stations around the ranch. The stations included a tour and several educational presentations. Deep Oak Ranch operates on a 2,700-acre cattle ranch where they have raised and sold registered and commercial cattle in central Texas for 25+ years with a facility designed to intake, process and ship cattle on a large commercial scale. They also have the unique ability to grow most of their cattle feed on the ranch. While they have not always had Wagyu, they have begun to focus on Wagyu genetics and believe that Wagyu is a tool to complement any ranching operation.

James Thornton (left) MD of Warrendale Farms pictured with Chris

We also visited La Roca Ranch which is owned by Rick Beard & Family with La Roca situated about 30 minutes west of Weatherford, TX. The cattle herds graze on three different properties which total about 10,000 acres – giving them plenty of space to grow and develop to their full potential. The visit included a trailer tour to view some of the pasture cattle, a discussion on the ranch’s system with the owners followed by evening entertainment.

The trip did really give me a real passion to grow our own British Association similar to how the Australians and Americans have done. I also feel the WWC Council can play a key part in growing each country’s market. For example, we should be focusing on bringing together all of the various studies done on the health benefits of Wagyu fat - getting them independently verified into one far reaching study we could all use. As with most things, we are all stronger when we stand and work together collaboratively.

Taken at Heartbrand Akaushi

Chris Dickinson, BWA Director E: chris.dickinson@hatchingplans.co.uk

SUMMER NEWSLETTER OUT NOW!

The Summer 2023 edition of the British Wagyu Newsletter is available to read by clicking HERE. Members will already have received their copy by post during July. It’s not too late to join the association and get your copy by getting in touch at info@britishwagyu.co.uk. Enjoy your read!