April 15, 2025

Hokkaido now Japan's top beef cattle producer

 

 

Hokkaido, Japan, already known as the "kingdom of dairy farming," has earned a new accolade for its beef.

 

According to the central government's statistics on agricultural output for 2023 that were released at the end of 2024, Hokkaido surpassed Kagoshima Prefecture as the country's top beef cattle producer for the first time.

 

Record-keeping, which began in 1960, involves evaluating a prefecture's agricultural production in terms of monetary value and current condition of its agriculture. This is calculated based on annual production volume and prices at the time of shipment from farmers.

 

According to statistics compiled in 2023, Hokkaido's beef cattle production was ¥122.4 billion, up ¥2.1 billion from the previous year.

 

Meanwhile, Kagoshima Prefecture, known as the "kingdom of livestock breeding," saw its production fall ¥2 billion for a total of ¥120.8 billion.

 

In 2023, Hokkaido topped Japan with ¥1.35 trillion in output for all commodities. That same year, the market price fell due to a slump in demand for "Kuroge Wagyu" (Japanese Black) beef as a result of rising prices. This directly affected Kagoshima's production as the Wagyu breed accounts for more than 90% of the cattle raised there.

 

On the other hand, varieties raised in Hokkaido consist almost equally of Wagyu, Holstein (or "Horusu") and crossbred cattle that are a mix of a female Holstein and male Kuroge Wagyu.

 

"The strength of Hokkaido is the perfect balance between the three types of cattle," a senior official of Hokuren, a federation of agricultural cooperatives responsible for economic business under the JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) Group Hokkaido.

 

"The market price of Wagyu has fallen, but the prices of Holstein and crossbred cattle have not collapsed," the official added.

 

Holstein are essentially the face of dairy cattle, but the males are fattened for beef. Cuts are characterised as lean with little fat and chewy.

 

The crossbred variety, meanwhile, has both the fat and the lean flavor of Wagyu.

 

About 90% of the meat labeled as "Hokkaido beef" or "domestic beef" in supermarkets is either Holstein or crossbred beef, both less expensive than Wagyu.

- The Asahi Shimbun