The Wagyu Breeders Association (WBA) has confirmed the establishment of a new trademark (pictured below) for British Wagyu beef meaning the distinctive logo and wording are now protected through the UK Government’s Intellectual Property Office.
Commenting, WBA Director Philip Maddocks, says: “The new trademark is an integral part of the British Wagyu Assurance Scheme which we launched last year. It provides a strong visual marker to underpin consumer confidence. The assurance scheme includes branded ear tags and DNA verification to unite all parts of the supply chain in assuring the integrity of the British Wagyu brand.”
The British Wagyu assurance scheme leads the industry in terms of traceability, animal welfare and trust to enhance the value of premium Wagyu beef. A number of retailers are committing to the scheme which will see the new logo soon start to appear on packaging and promotional materials.
NOTES ON THE BRITISH WAGYU ASSURANCE SCHEME
The British Wagyu Assurance Scheme was launched on 1st July 2020. With a branded tissue punch ear tag and sire verification at its core, the novel scheme unites all parts of the supply chain in assuring the integrity of the British Wagyu brand.
All rearers, growers, finishers, processors and retailers benefit from membership of the scheme as consumer demand for premium British Wagyu-assured beef grows – backed up by the distinctive new logo on packaging. It is financed through: agreements with the WBA’s major tag and DNA partners; logo royalties; and membership subscriptions.
The principles of the scheme are:
· All animals sire verified to a registered Fullblood Wagyu bull
· Dams either dairy-bred or native breeds
· All animals born in the United Kingdom
· All animals tagged with British Wagyu-branded DNA tissue-punch tag
· All animals DNA sire verified
· All animals BVD tested negative
· All animals whole-life Red Tractor assured
· Minimum age at slaughter 24 months; no maximum age
· No bull beef
The scheme will:
· Lead the industry in terms of traceability, animal welfare and consumer trust
· Enhance the integrity and value of premium Wagyu beef
· Be at the forefront of data collection for meat quality, performance efficiency and climate change
· Increase the profile and demand for British Wagyu
Integral to the success of the scheme are data collection and analysis which will underpin the financial return on investment. With a world-leading partner in place to carry out DNA and genomic testing, and with access to carcase and performance data linking back to all sires, the whole supply chain will quickly have at their fingertips a valuable marketing and breeding tool to maximise efficiency and profitability as well as ticking wider environmental boxes.
From the outset, these will include standard carcase information such as days to slaughter, DLWG, carcase weight, killing-out percentage, and over time will expand to key economic traits like retail yield and feed efficiency. In the short term, important management factors such as calving ease, birthweight, gestation length and (semen) fertility can be incorporated with the medium-term ambition being to add marbling (marble score and fineness), tenderness and taste into the equation.