WHOLE-LIFE nutrition, aggressive uptake of DNA technology combined with extensive use of comparative analysis and a focus on breeding for the 'superior fat' gene are key lessons Australia's Wagyu industry can take from the world's masters.
Above all, Japan's national pride in Wagyu and the empathy afforded animals is its 'silver bullet'.
So says NSW Wagyu bull breeder Jeremy Cooper in the wake of his research, which included a trip to Japan, as part of the Australian Wagyu Association's Wagyu Fellowship program.
Mr Cooper, who with wife Carmen runs Circle 8 Bulls at Marulan, said talk was strong in Japan about the stearoyl CA desaturase, or SCD, gene, credited with giving Wagyu it's unique aroma and flavour over and above marbling. SCD is the enzyme which changes stearic acid into oleic acid.
That SCD focus has not yet flowed through to Australia, but like many of the other ways things are done in Japan's wagyu industry, it is an 'inside tip' with a lot of potential, Mr Cooper believes.
There were 'massive gains to made by knowing what happens in Japan', he said.
"Take a typical Australian Wagyu steer at 36 months - he's 417 kilograms, has a marbling score of 7.4 and an intramuscular fat measurement of 18pc," Mr Cooper said.
"In the Zenkyo competition, at just 24 months, he's 480kg, marbling score 8.4 and IMF 42pc."
Generally, Australian production systems impose constraints on early-life nutrition but that was not the case in Japan, Mr Cooper reported.
He visited farms, a wholesale meat market and processing facility, restaurants and feedlots in Japan.
He said there was no secret formulae in what was fed - it was Australian barley and canola meal, US corn.
"It's not in the feed, it's in the way they are fed," he said.
"And the empathy for cattle is amazing. Farms and feedlots are immaculately kept."
Average cow herd size is 50, everything is tied up and cows calve in the barn. All animals are hand fed and washed every day.
Feedlots buy 300kg steers for $11,000 and feed them until they reach 30 months, when they typically receive carcase prices of $18,000 to $20,000.
Mr Cooper described viewing platforms at the processing facility he visited, complete with full explanations of what was taking place, as 'cool as cats'.
Visitors can even access the killing room.
It speaks to the national pride in the Wagyu industry, he said.
"The interesting thing is this facility cost $145m to build. It has a 100 head capacity. They killed 44 head the day we were there," he said.
"Producers pay $100 for that privilege, and workers earn $20 to $30 an hour.
"The facility wasn't built to be economic. It was built because Wagyu are a national treasure and the industry is taken very seriously."
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Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
