December 1, 2006

Japan to see slight rise in beef production

Japanese cattle slaughter is forecast to rise slightly in 2007, with Wagyu and Wagyu cross cattle pushing the trend.

The forecast was done using the number of registered cattle births (collected by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery) and an average age of Wagyu at slaughter of 31 months, Wagyu cross at 27 months and dairy cattle at 21 months.

Encouraged by the recent high prices on carcases and livestock, slaughter of Wagyu and Wagyu cross cattle could increase 2 and 3 percent respectively, compared with 2006. However, the total increase forecast at this stage is 1 percent due to a 2-percent fall in dairy steer slaughter.

Wagyu slaughter is expected to keep increasing through to mid-2008, while dairy steer slaughter would continue its downward trend, reflecting the producer's shift to more lucrative Wagyu production.