July 22, 2010

Japanese cattle numbers shrink slightly

Japanese beef cattle herd decline slightly in 2010, while average beef cattle numbers per farm increased due to a reduction in the number of farming households.

According to data released by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, there were 2.89 million head of beef cattle as of February 1, 2010, down 1% from last year.

Kyushu remained the largest region for beef cattle in Japan at 1.06 million head (mostly Japanese black Wagyu), followed by Hokkaido at 0.54 million head (combination of wagyu, F1 and dairy beef cattle).

Farm numbers continued to decline, largely due to the aging farming population and the industry consolidation. As a result, 74,400 farms (down 4% on-year) had an average 39 animals/farm in 2010, one animal more than the previous year.

In reality, over 52% of the total herd was fed by larger beef cattle operations, with more than 200 animals, which account for only 3% of total farms.

The figures were taken prior to the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Japan which started in April this year.