Wagyu is a Japanese breed of Cattle where the ‘Wa’ means Japanese and ‘Gyu’ means cow.

Wagyu originated from Japan, and until the late 1970's was considered a national treasure, being banned from exporting by the Japanese government. Once lifted it grew in popularity, with the first Wagyu bloodlines entering America in 1970's and Australia in the 1990's. The breed is now readily available all over the world.

In Japan there are a number of Wagyu bloodlines, with the most favoured being Tajima for producing the best quality beef. ‘Kobe’ beef is a famous type of Wagyu, this is from the ‘Kobe’ prefecture and uses the Tajima bloodline.

Fullblood Wagyu is produced when the parents are 100% Wagyu. Most Wagyu cattle around the world are produced as a cross. In Japan the most favoured first cross breed is with a dairy animal, this is known as an 'F1 Wagyu' where it is 50% or more Wagyu content. F1 Wagyu can be produced by crossing with any non-Wagyu breed. At Warrendale Wagyu we predominantly produce an F1 Wagyu with a Holstein cow using our Fullblood Bull Wagyu genetics .

Environment and animal welfare

We produce our Wagyu beef from a dairy cow which means it has a lower environmental footprint than traditional beef. Calves from dairy cows have sometimes been viewed as a ‘by-product’, with the focus on milk production. However, we work with our dairy farmers to give a purpose for these Wagyu cross calves and ensure they are reared and cared for through our system.

Our cattle are slow growing on grass for around 2 years, usually in areas of the UK that can’t grow other crops effectively. Therefore, this grass is removing carbon from the atmosphere for our cattle to then graze and convert into great beef. We then finish the cattle on a grain and forage mixed diet. Our farmer partners use grains and crops that are available to them, usually grown on their own farms or sourced locally. We don’t use any soya in our cattle diets.

We process our animals at an industry leading facility that takes animal welfare as a priority. Our meat is chilled down and aged to ensure that it will always deliver the best eating experience.