300 Guests from 15 Countries Attend Gala Dinner Open Day Attracts 1,000+ Visitors
The inaugural European Wagyu Gala held in Muenster, Germany from Friday 11th to Saturday 12th September 2015, saw the Fullblood in-calf Wagyu heifer Ms Dai Da La top the sale on the Saturday afternoon at 27,500 euro (£19,643) for breeder Christian Niewoehner, Melle. By the outcross sire Hero 3658, the December 2013-born embryo calf Ms Dai Da La is out of the four-year-old cow WWSG 576 who had earlier sold for the joint second leading price of 21,000 euro. Sold in-calf to Shigeshigetani 542, she was purchased by Mr Zilvinas Zilinskas, Klaipeda, Lithuania, who later also snapped up other females at 18,200 & 13,200 euro respectively.
Hosted jointly by the German Wagyu Association & World Wide Sires Germany, the two-day European Wagyu Gala comprised of a Gala Dinner on the Friday at the nearby Moevenpick Hotel followed by an Open Day on the Saturday at the Wagyu Muensterland farm of Reinhard & Melanie Holtmann with the much-anticipated auction held late in the afternoon.
The Sale comprised 70 lots in all which met a 100% clearance. 27 heifers averaged an excellent 13,426 euro (almost £10,000 per head) with 33 embryos levelling at 1,285 euro – again a very good result. Overall, the auction grossed 449,600 euro equivalent to over £320,000 with purchasers coming from all over Europe.
Attending the Gala was Wagyu Breeders Association Company Secretary Richard Saunders who said: “The Gala was a tremendous success and underlines the huge demand for Wagyu genetics Europe-wide backed up by a massive surge in interest from consumers wishing to try Wagyu beef.”
Two females sold for 21,000 euro apiece. The first lot in the ring was the 2011-born cow, and mother of the top price, WWSG 576 sired by Hirashigetayasu 670 and out of the dam Misako 674, who sold with her April-born heifer calf at foot by Itomoritaka. The pair were consigned by joint sellers Wagyu Munsterland & WWS Germany and sold to Sigrid Keweloh of Haru Wagyu, Mutlangen. Two further daughters of WWSG 576 sold for 17,500 and 12,800 euro respectively.
The other selling at 21,000 euro – also from Wagyu Munsterland & WWS Germany - was Ms Takazakura 529, a July 2014-born heifer and embryo calf by the sire Takazakura, one of the original exports from Japan, and out of a dam by the noted Itozuru Doi. She sold to an undisclosed buyer.
Embryos sold to a top of 2,300 euro (three times) for a mating of the sireItoshigefuji and the dam Misako (by Michifuku) whilst embryo calves sold inside recipient dams made a top of 5,800 euro carrying the breeding of Takazakura and Ms Kitaguni.
Sale Averages
27 Females 13,426 euro
6 Bulls 4,767 euro
33 Embryos 1,285 euro
4 Embryo Calves 4,025 euro
Please see below some further images from the European Wagyu Gala.
