Membership growth of the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA) has been even more dramatic with a 39% lift in member numbers.
Wagyu numbers in Australia are growing at a faster rate than those of any other breed according to figures released by the Australian Registered Cattle Breeders’ Association (ARCBA).
With 8463 new Wagyu calves registered in 2015, Wagyu has climbed to 6th position in the breed hierarchy, up from 8th place in 2014 and 12th place ten years ago.
Wagyu’s calendar year 2015 figures were up 12% on 2014’s and continues the breed’s growth since it first appeared in ARCBA statistics in 1993 with 72 cattle registered.
Membership growth of the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA) has been even more dramatic with a 39% lift in member numbers in the 12 month period during which time 68% of Australia’s beef breed organizations failed to increase membership numbers.
“Cattle producers are recognizing the value of Wagyu membership which allows them to record their cattle and allows access to Wagyu’s innovative performance recording and genetic discovery programs which now contains carcase EBVs on more that 80,000 cattle,” said AWA CEO Graham Truscott who is overseas giving presentations to Wagyu breeders in Germany and the United Kingdom.
“Australia has taken an international leadership role in the performance recording of Wagyu cattle and the production of Wagyu beef. International demand for Australian Wagyu genetics and Wagyu beef produced by some of the nation’s largest pastoral and processing organizations will ensure the Wagyu growth continues,” he said.
Mr Truscott said the boom in registration numbers was set to continue as 95% of the calves registered in 2015 were in the primary register (Fullblood and Purebreds) but AWA had just opened a secondary register called the Wagyu Content Register which will add genetic diversity to the Australian Wagyu herd and could increase registrations and recordings by thousands a year.
At the 2016 Wagyu Revolution Conference last month in the Hunter Valley, the 400 delegates were told the 2011 joinings to Wagyu sires was 90,000, this jumped 24% by 2014, and the AWA predicted 821,000 Wagyu joinings by 2020 with a turnoff of 276,000 head or 74,000 tonnes of Wagyu beef, 90% of which would be exported.