MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Magallanes promotes Japanese cattle breed cross

The Chilean Agriculture Research Centre in Magallanes is involved in a pilot program to cross breed Japanese Wagyu cattle with local Aberdeen Angus with the purpose of obtaining beef cuts palatable to the Japanese consumer.

Apparently Wagyu beef is extremely fat and the best cuts sell as much as one hundred US dollars a kilo.

With this in mind the Magallanes INIA research centre is in contact with Wagyu Chile a company which imports semen from Japan for cross breeding with Aberdeen Angus cows which seem to best adapt and are closer to the type of beef preferred by the Japanese consumers. Herefords allegedly do not adapt so well.

INIA Magallanes this year inseminated 35 Aberdeen cows and the calves when 6 to 7 months old will be sent to Osorno to a Wagyu farm program for fattening and eventually test selling to Asian markets.

Last year Magallanes common calves were sold live at the equivalent of 85 US cents a kilo. The Waguy-Angus contract promises 1,75 US dollars a kilo. "INIA Magallanes experimental grounds in Kampenaike do not have as a target making money but rather the transfer of technology. So we are trying to promote the Wagyu breed and attract farmers to the program", said agronomist Raul Lira head of the program.

He added the Kampenaike station was planning an open day with Magallanes cattle farmers to get them acquainted with the Japanese breed, its characteristics and market potential.