WORLD WAGYU CONFERENCE 13-14 OCTOBER 2026

11 delegates from the UK attended the 2026 World Wagyu Council (WWC) Conference which was held in South Africa in October. The event attracted a total of 195 attendees from 17 nations to make it a truly international gathering. Hosted by the Wagyu Society of South Africa on the theme ‘One Breed – One Vision’ the two-day core conference also included wrap-around pre and post-tours incorporating visits to Wagyu farms, wine estates, Wagyu restaurants plus some fantastic tourist activities. The conference was held at the Cavalli Estate situated near Stellenbosch in the beautiful Western Cape region, an inspiring natural setting surrounded by vineyards and panoramic mountain views - and just 45 minutes from Cape Town.

PRE-TOUR DAY ONE 11 OCT

Delegates pictured at L’Ormarins & Antonij Rupert

A packed first day of the build-up tour saw international visitors gather with some of our generous Wagyu South Africa hosts to visit the Antonij Rupert Wine Estate with its L’Ormarins Wagyu stud and Franschhoek Motor Museum. Farm Manager Stefan Terblanche explained how the Aberdeen-Angus and Chianina cattle enterprise was established in 2007 with Wagyus joining the set-up in 2012. Based on largely Tajima lines, the nucleus Fullblood Wagyu herd now comprises 50 breeding females and two bulls with both natural and AI matings plus an embryo programme in place. Wagyus are also crossed onto the commercial cattle to give improved frame, milk and growth. The Wagyu bulls in question are by Arubial United and World K’s Shigeshigetani respectively. The estate covers 1,000ha of pasture, vineyards and blueberry production.

Arriving at Quoinrock Wine Estate, owner Nico Walters gave an overview of how and why Wagyu cattle have been incorporated into this grass-based system to complement the vines, relying on natural grazing and resowing pastures every 6-8 years. With 26 Fullblood cows as it stands, offspring are not slaughtered until up to 48 months at around 400kg carcase weight with a typical MIJ Marble Score of 5-6 – all going into private sales and two high-end restaurants – with the aim to expand from the current one per month up to two per month.

High-end retailer, Woolworths, has a concept store in nearby Waterstone, Somerset West so this was the next visit. With Wagyu sold under the Certified Wagyu Beef brand of Wagyu South Africa, the Wagyu offering included beef burgers, picanha, chuck eye, rib eye, sirloin, mince and beef fat. Burgers were priced at the equivalent of £9.28/kg, chuck £27.02/kg, picanha £49.53/kg, sirloin £54.04/kg and ribeye £63.04/kg.

Prime Wagyu restaurant on the seafront in Strand

Dinner was at Prime Wagyu (www.primewagyu.co.za) which was founded by Fullblood Wagyu farmer Johan Strydom. He was farming in the Free State but Johan’s ambition was ’to bring the farmer and the diner closer together’. That connection was the starting point for the Prime Wagyu restaurant on Strand’s beachfront.

PRE-TOUR DAY TWO 12 OCT

Zuney Burger on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town

Zuney Burger’s Henning Klopper tells us all about his farm-to-fork journey

Having taken the cable car up (and down) the iconic Table Mountain, the group met up with Henning Klopper at Zuney Burger on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The Zuney story begins back in 2013 when two neighbouring farming families - Henk Klopper and his son Henning and Denys Wells and his son Devin – thought about maximizing their Wagyu beef output by opening a burger bar. Roll on to 2026 and the enterprise runs 4 outlets in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The base herd in the Eastern Cape began with 350-400 Angus cows bred to Wagyu for an F1 and then back again for an F2, F3 and so on. The result is effectively a mostly purebred Wagyu beef product with a smash-style burger and fries cooked in Wagyu tallow – thus moving away from a reliance on seed oils with each carcase yielding around 65kg of fat. Animals are not over-pushed, with the families preferring the cost-effective natural grazing of the veld with processing carried out at 27-33 months at a liveweight of 725-750kg. Thanks to their own deboning operation, Zuney has taken control of the whole supply chain (apart from the abattoir) with the stated aim to expand to 10 outlets.

A selection of Wagyu products at L.A. Farms deli

Next stop was L.A. Farms Butchery & Deli in Green Point, Cape Town with beef and lamb sourced from Harun Moreira’s family-owned farm located on the West Coast between St Helena Bay and Velddrif. Delegates listened to the farm-to-fork story and tasted many typical South African products - but with an inspired Wagyu twist - such as droewors, biltong, chilli bites, leaf pastrami, smoked brisket and beef sausage. @la_farms W: www.lafarms.co.za

OPENING CEREMONY & WELCOME RECEPTION 12 OCT

Delegates from around the world gathered in the Western Cape for the WWC Conference

L-R Dr Ivan Meyer (Minister of Agriculture), Tanya Pieterse (incoming WSA President) & Bob Hobson (outgoing WSA President)

L-R Bob Hobson (Wagyu South Africa), Dr Ivan Meyer (Minister of Agriculture) & Richard Saunders (WWC Chair)

South Africa officially welcomed the global Wagyu community to the World Wagyu Conference with one of the evening’s most memorable moments being the Flag Ceremony, celebrating all 17 nations represented at this year’s conference, a powerful reminder of just how global the Wagyu community has become as delegates from across the globe gathered for the Welcome Reception and Opening Ceremony. The evening also saw Tanya Pieterse appointed as Wagyu South Africa’s first female President, while Dr Ivan Meyer, Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, officially opened the conference and welcomed our international guests to the Western Cape.

MAIN CONFERENCE 13-14 OCTOBER

Please Note, Presentations will be available to view in due course - please look out for links to the conference presentations and/or videos

DAY 1 | MORNING SESSION

The WWC Conference was held at Cavalli Estate in the Western Cape near Stellenbosch

195 delegates joined for the WWC Conference which began with an overview of all 14 WWC member associations

Following opening remarks from MC Johan de Vos, we heard perspectives from Wagyu nations around the world - sharing insights, experiences and taking a look at where Wagyu is heading across different markets. Individual Country Presentations will be available HERE in due course.

FARMING BEST PRACTICES – FROM CALF TO VALUE CHAIN

Session 1: Dr Ryan Davies – Wagyu Calf Management & Benefits of Colostrum

Ryan (SCCL-sponsored session) presented on Wagyu calf management and the benefits of colostrum in calf care, based on personal research as a practising vet and consulting work through Veterinary Technical Consulting (www.vtc.ltd)

Session 2: Dr Otto Koekemoer –Advantages of vaccination over treatment for some economically-important diseases. Why prevention is better than cure

Otto (Design Biologix sponsored session) presented research findings on vaccinations, the use of minerals, the benefits in practical terms ie animal health, but also the financial benefits

Session 3: Dr Phillip Oosthuizen – Becoming Industry Leaders in Red Meat Value Chain. Sponsored session – Red Meat Industry South Africa

DAY 1 | AFTERNOON SESSION

FEEDING THE WORLD _ WHAT PART DOES WAGYU PLAY?

Dr Bobbie van der Westhuizen, CEO of SA Studbook

Session 4: Waldo Scheepers (Wagyu SA CEO) & Dr Bobbie van der Westhuizen (SA Studbook CEO) Wagyu South Africa Case Study

Waldo covered the South Africa Certified Wagyu Beef Program whilst Dr Bobbie focused on the implementation and redesign of the Logix program and data systems to accommodate Wagyu needs to integrate carcass and genomic and data

Session 5 Dr Gary Evans- Applying Genomics to Enhance Value in the Wagyu Supply Chain

Gary (Neogen, now known as GGP) explained what genomically-enhanced traits are behind profitable cattle production with a particular focus of the possibilities to differentiate and add value to Wagyu. Increased economic effects could be as much as est £454-565/head by identifying key performances in Wagyu cattle such as Average Daily Gain, Hot Carcase Weight and Wagyu Marble Score.

Session 6: Gerhard van der Burgh - Global Beef Industry

Gerhard presented research findings from international beef brands and the export landscape, what clients consider – grading systems, pricing, branding, reputation, relationships, and how this is different for new exporters, smaller countries.

Session 7: Rosalind Murray: Trends & Insights Analyst, Consumerism in Niche Products – Woolworths

Rosalind discussed new product development in niche beef products, and what this beef consumer looks at in terms of preferences. She gave insights into upcoming trends towards online shopping, ready-made meals looking at both the challenges it brings, as well as the potential opportunities for Wagyu producers.

Opening address at Gala Dinner by Dr Peter Ballerstedt

Day One concluded with a fabulous Gala Dinner at Cavalli Estate. Following an Opening Address by Dr Peter Ballerstedt of Grass-Based Health, USA, an evening of exceptional food, great wine and even better company brought together Wagyu breeders, industry leaders and friends from across the world around one table. Said WSA President, Tanya Pieterse,“After a full day of learning and sharing ideas, it was time to slow down, connect and celebrate the global Wagyu community we’re bringing together.” The evening rounded off with the ceremonial hanging-over of WWC Secretariat duties by USA to UK & Germany – the latter being joint hosts of the next WWC Conference in 2029.

WWC Secretariat was handed over by Jerry Cassady (centre) to Uwe Jerathe (L-Germany) & Richard Saunders (R-UK)

DAY 2

WAGYU BEEF INNOVATION & CULINARY DEVELOPMENTS

The second day of the conference was very much hands-on with Wagyu and focused on the product itself from its legendary health benefits through to the different scanning methods available in carcase grading. This was followed by a forequarter cutting demonstration revealing just how suited Wagyu cattle are in extracting maximum carcase value, plus their versatility in exploiting many novel cuts. Two top chefs then gave a masterclass on preparing, cooking and presenting these different cuts to the diner.

DAY 2 | MORNING SESSION

THE UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION OF WAGYU

Opening: The World of Wagyu– Lean Gentini, International Meat Sommelier

Argentinian by birth, Lean spent four years in Japan and is recognized internationally as the leading Wagyu Meat Sommelier. In his presentation, Lean reflected on three of the main consumer perspectives: marbling and the Wagyu ‘sweet spot’ and when more becomes less; the Wagyu X-factor and what turns a premium cut into a memorable experience; and provenance why both provenance and the ‘story’ behind the product has become essential.

Session 1: Prof Edward Webb - Science behind the health benefits of Wagyu Beef, Dept of Animal Sciences S Africa & USA

Prof Webb built on the 2025 ‘Health Benefits of Wagyu Beef’ work carried out by the World Wagyu Council with his own research and findings. He explained the unique history and fat profile of Wagyu animals and how they differ from conventional cattle with their higher (x6.2) levels of monounsaturated as well as polyunsaturated fats, and how this – together with its lower melting point (24-25C compared to 40-43C in conventional beef fat) – result in greater flavour, juiciness and tenderness when eaten.

Session 2: Tanya Pieterse - Grading and camera options, working towards a global standard

Tanya talked through her recent project which evaluated using four different carcase camera technologies (MIJ, Masterbeef, MEQ & UBI), the goal being to provide objective feedback to breeders about the differences, practicalities and costs including time requirements, with the end goal being to align and not confuse consumers.

Session 3: Thea Laufs, Certification Partners Global (CPG)

Entitled ‘From Trust to Trade,’ Thea’s presentation looked at the part that food safety certification and quality assurance play in gaining the trust of the consumer in markets both at home and overseas.

DAY 2 | AFTERNOON SESSION

Session 1: Dr Phil Bass - Unlocking Value in the Wagyu Carcase – live demonstration of forequarter deboning and cutting

Dr Phil is a professor and author and meat expert, and in this stand-out two-hour session he gave a forequarter masterclass. Traditionally we talk of the top (sirloin) and hindquarter in terms of return but we underestimate the forequarter to unlock value, enhance creativity, open up menu and marketing potential and also combine both science and artistry in a Wagyu vision! Says Phil: “Rather than concentrate on the higher costs associated with Wagyu production, we should focus on the higher returns that are possible by educating both chefs and consumers, and push the boundaries for what Wagyu can achieve.”

Session 2: Chef Devon Jansen van Vuuren, LA Farms & Chef Adrian Buchanan, 96 Winery Road

Here, we turned up the heat, where the mastery of butchery techniques meets the artistry of the Chef.

We welcomed Chef Devon from LA Farms who brings Wagyu from their farm on the West Coast to your table at their Green Point restaurant; and to Chef Adrian from 96 Winery Road and Cape Wagyu to see how leading chefs turn great produce and adapt classic cooking techniques into a luxury Wagyu dining experience.

POST-TOUR 15-16 OCTOBER

The post-tour presented delegates with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture, land and traditions of South Africa including a fascinating insight into the heritage of the San and Khwa ttu people, whale-watching in Walker’s Bay, Hermanus as well as Afrikaner culture at the Boer Theater.

The post-tour did, however, include a strong cattle element with a visit to Spier Wine Farm & Farmer Angus with its regenerative farming model incorporating 250 outdoor pigs and 6,000 free-range laying hens. The cattle enterprise comprised 220-head of a mixed Simmental, Red Angus and Limousin population put to Red Angus bulls.

L-R Pieter Rousseau & Petr Ficbauer (Czech Republic) with some Wagyu tomahawks

The final visit was to Ken Forrester Wines with its 30-cow Cape Wagyu herd formed of F1 and F2 crosses out of Angus-bred females where delegates were ably hosted by Pieter Rousseau.

Held every three years, the next World Wagyu Conference is due to be held jointly by the UK and Germany in 2029.

To find out more about the World Wagyu Council, please visit www.worldwagyucouncil.com or @worldwagyucouncil