Made in Scotland: Japan's gourmet beef

NORMALLY it is pop stars who boast of being "big in Japan" but some of Scotland's iconic Aberdeen Angus cattle could soon have a similar claim to fame.

Scottish farmers have started to cross the breed with Japanese Wagyu cattle, which provide beef that is said to be the most expensive in the world.

Up to 700 Scots-Japanese calves are due next spring on dozens of farms in Caithness in the north-east Highlands, in one of the biggest cattle breeding initiatives in the UK.

The Wagyu beef, prized for its deeply marbled appearance, will be exported to Japan because imports are cheaper than home-reared Wagyu.

Wagyu in Japan are pampered with massages to help create the marbling, and beer or sake is added to their feeding regime.

A seven-ounce Wagyu steak sells in Tokyo restaurants for more than £95 and has become a regular fixture on menus at celebrity gatherings. Guy Ritchie included kosher Wagyu beef burgers on the menu, along with pink Krug champagne and caviare, for Madonna's 50th birthday party last summer.

Businessman John Sutherland from Wick spotted the potential for breeding Scottish Wagyu after visiting a stud farm for the ancient Japanese breed in Australia.

Mr Sutherland, managing director of Caithness Beef and Lamb, said: "Aberdeen Angus used to be similar to Wagyu but the market changed, pushing farmers into producing redder and leaner beef.

"I imported 1,000 straws of Japanese Wagyu bull semen and we should see a 70 per cent success rate. I'm opening a new meat works later this month where the animals will be slaughtered and finished in the traditional Wagyu style when they are just over two years old."

Mr Sutherland also plans to produce Wagyu steaks, burgers and sausages for the UK market.

Danny Coghill, of Stemster Mains farm in Caithness, one of the farmers involved in the project, said: "Some people are laughing about this but it's something totally different and I've got nothing to lose by trying something new."

However, Mr Coghill said he would not be offering the cattle massages or feeding them beer.

Ron McHattie, chief executive of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society, said there was no threat to the genetic purity of the Aberdeen Angus breed.

"If this is a straight commercial decision by farmers to make money in the market then good luck to them," Mr McHattie said.

"The main point is that it won't directly impact on our herd book. The herd book is like researching your family tree in Register House in Edinburgh and records the parents and grandparents of genuine Aberdeen Angus. Crossed animals will never come within a million miles of our herd book."

Nick Nairn, one of Scotland's top chefs, and one of the presenters of the BBC Scotland's Landward rural affairs television programme, said: "This could be great for Scotland. I'm delighted with any initiative which gets farmers talking to those who buy their produce.

"There are two camps of farmers – those who are very savvy and stick their heads above the parapet to develop niche markets and those who just want to concentrate on doing things the traditional way. But in order to get decent prices, they need to know what customers want."

Sarah Anderson, of NFU Scotland, said: "The livestock sector has been struggling so much in recent years. This is an excellent way for farmers to develop their herds and create the ultimate product for a high-end market."

SECRETS OF THE STEAK'S SUCCESS

WAGYU beef is a legendary Japanese delicacy.

The breed is genetically predisposed to intense marbling and produces a higher percentage of oleaginous, unsaturated fat than any other breed of cattle known in the world.

It is highly rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and the meat is described as having a smooth, velvety, sweet taste.

It can be called "Kobe beef" only if the animal is raised and finished in the Kobe region of Japan.

Wagyu were introduced to Japan in the second century as a beast of burden to help cultivate rice.

The cattle herd in Japan was closed and eating meat from any four-legged animal was prohibited from 1635 to 1838.

Different methods were used to raise the animals, including massage to avoid cramp on small farms. Beer and sake were added to the feed to increase the animals' appetites during warm weather.

These practices continue and have increased the overall price of the product.

The meat is fragile under heat and is usually quickly seared on the outside to avoid destroying the fat.

Wagyu sashimi – thin raw strips of beef marinated in soy sauce, dashi broth and green onion – is popular in Japan.