Wagyu beef is known worldwide for its melt-in-your-mouth texture, depth of flavour and tenderness.
Australia was at the forefront of Fullblood Wagyu imports from Japan, through the US, in the early 1990’s, establishing a strong base of outstanding Fullblood genetics across each of the three major Wagyu blood lines. Wagyu has been a natural fit with the Japanese orientated long-fed Australian feedlot industry, making Australia the leading Wagyu seedstock and beef producer outside Japan.
The Australian Wagyu breeding industry has very successfully used these genetics to improve the capability of the Australian Fullblood Wagyu cattle to perform in a wide variety of climatic conditions, producing larger carcasses and developing a worldwide recognition of exquisite eating quality.
The Fullblood Wagyu is unsurpassed for its marbling and superb eating quality. This comes from its much higher oleic acid content, compared to other breeds, with this softer unsaturated fat and finer meat texture making Wagyu not only better tasting beef, but also healthier.
Australian beef producers have quickly recognised that the superior genetic qualities of Wagyu are easily cross bred into other breeds. Angus and dairy Holsteins are the predominant breeds for cross breeding, to improve meat quality and dollar value, as marbling is the most influential component of meat taste and tenderness.
Wagyu cattle are typically grain fed for the last 300 – 650 days of production to maximise marbling. Breed Description Japanese Wagyu derive from native Asian cattle, which were infused with British and European breeds in the late 1800’s. Although the breed was closed to outside breed lines in 1910, regional isolation has produced a number of different blood lines with varying conformation. These breeding differences have produced a Japanese national Wagyu herd which comprises 90% horned black hided, with the remainder being red. The Japanese National Wagyu Registry Association registers three breeds:
Japanese Black (Wagyu)
Japanese Brown
Japanese Polled Black
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