2021, Volume 24, Paper 22
ISSN: 2209-6612

The Wagyu Beef Value Chain in Japan

Haruka Iida – Postgraduate student, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne.

Abstract

Wagyu is a Japanese cattle breed and wagyu beef has been recognised globally as a high-quality meat. Japanese wagyu exports have increased in recent years, but it is facing strong competition from imported wagyu in the domestic market and in other export markets. Australia is the most effective competitor for Japan in terms of its quality and price, due to free trade agreements. This paper describes the performance of the wagyu value chain in Japan and makes a suggestion to improve the value chain. This suggestion relates to transitioning from imported feed to domestic feed supply, especially rice feed. This could lead to a reduction in cost and an increase in efficiency in the value chain.

Keywords: Wagyu, value chain, Japan, performance

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