A NEW ERA OF GENETIC EVALUATION

The British Wagyu Association’s partner, the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA), is preparing to deliver the most significant upgrade to Wagyu genetic evaluation since the introduction of genomics, transitioning from BREEDPLAN Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) to Wagyu Breeding Values (WBVs).

Thanks to the reciprocal overseas membership arrangement with the AWA, British Wagyu Fullblood breeders will also have access to this new technology.

Beginning February 2026, WBVs will become the sole breeding values published by AWA. This transition reflects how far the Wagyu industry has progressed and ensures our genetic evaluation systems align with modern Wagyu production, data scale, and economic realities.

WBVs are not simply a rebrand. They represent a Wagyu‑controlled, Wagyu‑specific evaluation built on the industry’s rapidly expanding phenotypic and genomic datasets. This ensures breeders continue to benefit from the most accurate, relevant and future‑ready genetic information available.

Why the Move to WBVs?

Wagyu production operates differently from other breeds: crossbred performance underpins profitability, genomics is used at scale, and high‑resolution carcase and eating‑quality traits drive selection. A multi‑breed model limited how effectively Wagyu specific data could be used. Moving to an independent, Wagyu designed system unlocks the full value of AWA’s dataset and enables faster, Wagyu relevant updates.

Read the Why - by clicking HERE