Success hasn’t come easy for the South African Wagyu beef industry, a notoriously difficult arena to operate in. Ever since 1997, when Japan designated its Wagyu breed of beautifully marbled, tender beef a national treasure and banned its export , beef farmers elsewhere, notably Australia and the US, have scrambled to climb into the market.
The hiatus caused by pandemic did give the industry a breathing space to be well prepared. “We had to write protocols, put all the regulatory stuff in place,” says Le Roux. That surname begs an obvious question. When I ask him, Garth Angus replies: “Entirely coincidental, Tony. The Angus breed used to be called Aberdeen Angus, hailing its Scottish origin. In recent years, driven by the Americans, Aberdeen has been dropped from the breed’s name. ”
“As the Wagyu breed progressed,” said Garth Angus, “new breeders were able to buy local Wagyu bulls and locally drawn Wagyu semen for AI to develop their own herds.”