WBA Chairman's Update

Dear Supporter,

As you are aware, the Wagyu Breeders Association (WBA) was successfully launched back in November 2014. Thanks to the support of a core number of pedigree and commercial breeders, industry bodies, farming press and sponsors, this has given the Association the confidence to build on its initial success and put in place the foundation blocks upon which to build a dynamic Breed Society.  I am therefore taking the opportunity here to write with a progress report on what has been achieved since the official launch and to invite you to attend the WBA Spring Conference taking place in and around York on Thurs 21st - Fri 22nd May to coincide with the National Beef Association's Beef Expo. 

When I think what we have achieved in that time and what we are about to announce, I really do believe exciting times for the UK beef industry and Members of the Wagyu Breeders Association lie ahead. Our aim remains to make the breeding and marketing of Wagyu beef and genetics as simple, straightforward and cost-effective as we can whilst maintaining a premium for unique Wagyu beef. 

We have agreed in principle three important contracts, and full details will be announced officially at our Spring Conference this coming May:  

- Firstly, the WBA is to work together with one of the foremost international Wagyu Associations to link in with its considerable membership, registration and performance recording facilities. We have negotiated a package which will, in short, give WBA Members automatic membership of this body at no additional cost than our standard annual membership subscription. We believe this offers excellent value for money and brings with it the added benefit of a world-class registration and performance recording facility including all that goes with it.  

- Secondly, we have negotiated considerable Member benefits with a leading Tag Company for a 'British Wagyu' branded tissue punch tag which will allow DNA parentage testing to be carried out to assure traceability and meat integrity. Doubling as a management tag, we are confident that this will enable WBA Members to not only market their Wagyu beef product using the 'British Wagyu' brand but one which will also stand up to scrutiny as and when required thus enabling producers to demand a premium price for our unique product. These tags and branding will be exclusive to WBA Members.  DNA samples can be stored free of charge for a number of years and utilised at a later date to confirm identification at point of slaughter thus ticking the box for the processor and retailer. 

- Thirdly, a 'vehicle' in the shape of a database interface then becomes necessary to tie up the administration element, so WBA will be using an exciting new UK company which has constructed for us a custom-built online portal to allow Members to submit animal details, order branded tags and carry out DNA parentage work. For both the tags and DNA, a small levy will come back to the WBA to help fund its forward work. There will also be an optional link, at additional cost for those Members that wish it, to BCMS to allow the statutory passport applications to go ahead within the same single click. 

Trusting that this has whet your appetite, the WBA Board very much hope you will be able to attend the Wagyu Breeders Association Spring Conference to be held in and around York Thurs 21st-Friday 22nd May 2015 where all the above will be rolled out, with an opportunity for existing and prospective Members and all interested parties to see it for themselves. The two-day event includes a WBA stand at the National Beef Association's Beef Expo at York Market on Thursday 21st May followed by a Farm Walk and practical demonstration of the tagging and website interface to be held courtesy of Jonathan Shepherd at Field House Farm, Tibthorpe, Driffield on the Friday. We will also be looking at the crossbred and purebred cattle under Jonathan’s management as well as sampling the best of Wagyu beef!  

Please keep an eye on the www.britishwagyu.co.uk website for further updates, plus a full programme and timings. We look forward to seeing you again in May so you can hear for yourself all the Wagyu news and benefits that are going to be on offer. If you would like to attend, please register your interest by sending an email to info@britishwagyu.co.uk. British Wagyu is a brand which we are confident is going places and we thank you for your continued interest and support. Do keep an eye on the website for all the latest news and WBA announcements.

With regards, 

Mike Tucker
Chairman, Wagyu Breeders Association

Jim Bloom to represent Wagyu Breeders Association at World Wagyu Conference

Jim Bloom, Board Member of the Wagyu Breeders Association (WBA) and Director of The Yorkshire Wagyu Co is officially representing the Association at the World Wagyu Conference at Yeppoon in Queensland, Australia from 8-10 May. His father, also Jim Bloom, the well known cattleman as well as former Chairman of the Limousin Cattle Society, will be accompanying his son.

One of the main speakers at the World Wagyu Conference will be Rob Cumine who farms several hundred Wagyu down in West Wales in partnership with Will Pritchard under the 'Natural Wagyu' banner. Rob is also currently Head of Agriculture for Coles, the biggest supermarket in Australia. Rob gave an excellent paper at the WBA launch held in Tetbury, Glocs last November and spoke very highly of the way the Australian Wagyu Association was developing Wagyu meat worldwide. 

Jim Bloom and his father will be recounting details of their trip on Friday May 22nd at the Wagyu Breeders Assocation Spring Conference due to be held at Jonathan Shepherd's farm at Field House Farm, Huggate Road, Tibthorpe, Driffield, YO25 9J2. If you are interesting in attending the Spring Conference, please click here for more information and to register your interest.

2015 World Wagyu Conference, May 8-10, Australia

An invitation is extended by the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA) to all British Wagyu Breeders and enthusiasts to attend the World Wagyu Conference to be held in Yeppoon, Queensland, Australia 8-10 May 2015. This will be followed by the Pride of Australia Wagyu Outback Tour 10-13 May.

Rob Cumine, who farms several hundred Wagyu down in West Wales with Will Pritchard and is Head of Agriculture for Coles the biggest supermarket in Australia will be one of the main speakers at the conference. Rob, who farms under the ‘Natural Wagyu’ banner gave an excellent paper at the W.B.A launch at Church Farm, Tetbury last November and spoke very highly of the way the Australian Wagyu Association was developing Wagyu meat worldwide. For full information on the World Wagyu conference, including a full programme and details on how to register click here.

Representing the Wagyu Breeders Association at the conference will be Board Member, Jim Bloom who will attend the World Wagyu Conference with his Father and very well known cattleman and former Chairman and Director of the Limousin Cattle Society, Jim Bloom. They will both be recounting about their trip on May 22nd at the Wagyu Breeders Association Spring Conference, which will take place at Jonathon Shepard's Farm at Field House Farm, Huggate Rd. Tibthorpe, Driffield YO25 9J2. 

GOLD AWARD FOR WAGYU STEAK

A Wagyu steak from Wagyu Breeders Association Member Rob Pratt of Breeding Vision Ltd, Home Farm, Northall, Dunstable, Beds has achieved a Gold Award in EBLEX’s ‘England’s Best Sirloin Steak 2015’ competition. Not only did the Wagyu-cross sirloin steak achieve this top classification, but it also placed as one of the top three highest scoring steaks in the ‘Independent Retailer’ category.  Rob now joins EBLEX as a guest at the Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards ceremony taking place at the Underglobe, London on Wednesday 22nd April 2015 where one category finalist will be announced as ‘Category Winner’ before the ‘Overall Winner’ of ‘England’s Best Sirloin Steak 2015’ is announced. Many congratulations to Rob who will now be able to use the 'Gold Medal' artwork on packaging, menus, point-of-sale material and online to promote his achievement.

 

Wagyu 'For Sale' Section Open For Business

The Wagyu Breeders Association (WBA) website www.britishwagyu.co.uk is now offering a 'For Sale' section in which Members of the WBA can market their livestock and genetics. Please visit the 'The Breed' section and click into 'For Sale' to find listings of Fullblood and crossbred cattle as well as embryos and semen. Alternatively, click here http://www.britishwagyu.co.uk/for-sale/.  To make use of this service, would Members please email full details including breeding, age, location and contact information to info@britishwagyu.co.uk. Wishing you a prosperous New Year's trading!

Chairman's News Update

Dear Wagyu Supporter, 

Two weeks have now passed since the official launch of the Wagyu Breeders Association (WBA) and I am delighted to say a lot of genuine interest and positive reaction has been generated from the 100 or so delegates that attended, together with some very positive press coverage nationally. 

The two-day event gave the current Board of 5 a chance to meet the delegates in the informal setting of a ‘Wagyu & Wine’ which was both well received and set the scene for the actual launch the following morning. I acknowledge here the support of our sponsors Harbro, IAE, RAFT Solutions, Kelvin Cave, Caisley, Grass Science, Taurus, Semenstore and UK Sire Services; without their financial help and encouragement, such a successful event as this would not have been possible. Thank you.

On the second day, a welcome from the Chairman then led to how the WBA came to be established which was followed by several technical papers in the key areas to develop the breed to its best advantage in the UK, remembering its taste and tenderness is renowned as second-to-none throughout the world.

The breed is developing faster in Australia than anywhere else globally and the key note speaker, Rob Cumine, who had flown over from his job as Agricultural Manager of Cole’s Supermarkets there, (as well as having a considerable herd of Wagyu in West Wales) provided a stimulating and thought-provoking delivery of where we should be going with Wagyu in this country. Many interesting questions came from the delegates as a result.

The afternoon provided the opportunity to look at the Chairman’s small herd of Wagyu cattle as well as hearing about the modern development of tissue sampling tags together with a scanning demonstration, both of which are very relevant to the high-quality value and integrity of Wagyu meat.

The feedback and interest was tremendous and has given the Board plenty to build into their long-term strategic plan which is due to be delivered later next spring or early summer.

This has led them via a recent conference call to prioritise their actions going forward, staying true to their stated intention of not ‘reinventing the wheel’ given the fact that excellent technical programmes and registration systems are already well-established elsewhere in the world which lend themselves to being adopted to ensure the integrity of the meat here in the UK.

On that basis, we have already started a dialogue with the Australian Wagyu Association to see what possibilities exist to work with them to develop a Breed Society here. We have also identified sampling tags that we know can greatly enhance beyond doubt the integrity of Wagyu as well as meeting all the DNA requirements that need to be available for WBA Members. On the same basis, companies are being identified that can test and store the DNA samples focusing not only on cost-effectiveness and customer service but also on accuracy of results.

The grading up to pedigree Wagyu (‘Purebreeds’) is to follow similar rules as laid down in the Wagyu breed trade descriptions in Australia. That means that any first cross to be registered would have to be by a Fullblood registered Wagyu bull as would all the crosses up to Purebreed status. Purebreeds are known to provide the top marbling, which is how the meat is assessed for value. The first cross is known to provide better marbling on Holstein and native beef breeds but it is not the Board’s intention to limit first crosses to those breeds, as Wagyu sires are able to improve meat eating quality across all breeds, but would in time likely set a minimum marbling grade to get WBA certification.

Whilst the grading of marbling is not currently done in this country, the WBA is approaching organisations like Eblex to discuss how this might be introduced in the future with suitable training.  

There is still a lot of ‘education’ to be done on several fronts for the breed. As Chairman, I am talking to the Chief Executive of the School of Culinary Arts in an attempt to encourage the chef profession to better understand the outstanding qualities of Wagyu beef and thereby to have confidence to use it more. This will encourage the use of the ‘cheaper’ cuts which still retain the meat’s own remarkable taste thus prompting better utilisation of the whole carcase.

Furthermore, we are in the process of approaching a top chef to consider being President of the WBA.

Again on the education side, plans are being discussed to use the www.britishwagyu.co.uk website to give Members ideas on marketing the product, publishing case studies on breeding, rearing and feeding as well as technical features. This is aimed at encouraging those not yet established in the Wagyu meat business to join and contribute to the development of the breed. It is also intended to develop the ‘social media’ aspect.  

There are enormous opportunities and we are intending to give our Members the back-up to make use of them. We are delighted with the response we have had to the WBA membership discount offer over the launch and want to create an environment for others to join. We are also looking for additional Board members to help with the work load and will be contacting new Members to ask for their help in that process.

 We have been given an excellent start to the Wagyu Breeders Association and very much hope you will be able to support us by joining the WBA if you have not already done so in order to make it work for all involved but most importantly keeping the product high-value and high-quality.

 May we wish you the very best Season’s Greetings and we will certainly be back in touch in the New Year with news of developments and what we have achieved. Give yourself a very good Christmas present and become a Member of the Wagyu Breeders Association!

Yours sincerely,

Mike Tucker

Chairman