MacKobe Beef

Scots to raise Kobe Beef. [Link]

Scottish farmers have started to cross Aberdeen Angus cattle with Japanese Wagyu cattle in the hope of creating some of the world’s most expensive beef.

Up to 700 Scots-Japanese calves are due next spring on dozens of farms in Caithness, north-east Highlands, in one of the biggest cattle breeding initiatives in the UK.

The Wagyu beef, prized for its deeply marbled appearance, will be exported to Japan where imports are cheaper than home-reared Wagyu. Japanese cattle are pampered with massages to help create the marbling, and beer or sake is added to their feeding regime.

John Sutherland, MD of Caithness Beef and Lamb, spotted the potential for breeding Scottish Wagyu after visiting a stud farm for the ancient Japanese breed in Australia, and recently started a breeding programme in this country. He plans to open a new meat works later this month, where the animals will be slaughtered and finished in the traditional Wagyu style when they are just over two years old. Sutherland also plans to produce Wagyu steaks, burgers and sausages for the UK market.