It is clearly called "Watano", why is the price difference between Japan and Australia? Experts reveal 4 major differences

 8:58am, 9 July 2025
What are the differences between the food you should know about

Japanese Wagyu and Australian Wagyu, clearly called "Watanabe"? You can understand the differences between the two from four major differences, including "blood status, number of nourishing days, meat quality, and level".

Like wine, the pasture environment in various places directly affects the quality, taste and flavor of beef. Even in Australia, the humidity in the north and the dry and cold in the south make the grass eaten by the two herds very different, and naturally creates a difference in taste. As for where the difference between Wagyu and Australia is, we can look into it from four aspects.

{9 Mixed-blooded Japanese Wagyu means four major: black hair and species, brown hair and species, hornless and species, short horns and species. It originated from the excellent varieties of breeding descendants of Meiji and foreign breeding. In 1944, it was recognized and registered as a special Japanese cattle by the government. All of them are 100% fullblood wagyu; in 1997, it was listed as a living treasure and prohibited "gene" export.

Fortunately, Australia won the blood of the Wagyu cattle before this. In 1990, due to no import and export agreement, a cow with Wagyu gene was transferred from the United States. In 1993, five full-blooded Wagyu cattle arrived in the United States, and 20 embryos that reproduced for the first time were sent to Australia. Between 1994 and 1997, the whole blood male and female cows and calfs were sent to major farms in Australia by the United States and Canada, and then 30 years of hard work have developed into the world's second largest scale today. Nevertheless, the industry estimates that 95% of Australian Wagyu beefs belong to "purebred" and "crossbred" (mostly mixed Angus cows). The former contains 93.75% of Japanese Wagyu DNA, while the latter is divided into F1 (50%), F2 (75%), and F3 (87.5%), because according to the Australian Wagyu Association, more than half of the genes are Japanese Wagyu beefs, which can be marked as Wagyu. Only 5% of the market are Wagyu cattle proven by Zhenggang, such as meat produced from Blackmore, Mayura, Stone Axe, Irongate and other pastures.

Difference 2: 600 days vs 350 days

raising method is also the key to the quality and size of meat. The breeding period of Japanese Wagyu beef is more than 600 days, while for Australian mixed-race Wagyu beef, it is 350 to 450 days. The longer the time, the more meat you can raise a cow, it will be more tender and more meat. The biggest feature of Japanese Wagyu beef is the rich and beautiful frost. In order to achieve the ideal pattern, in the cultivation of abdomen, bones, meat volume, fat and other stages, it will feed different proportions of straw, soybeans, maize, corn and other feed combinations.

Reverse Australia mainly focuses on big and small wheat, and with grazing, the effect of frost drop is relatively small. However, every farm owner has an exclusive secret. Taking the world's most well-known Shenyuan cattle (actually black hair and species in Bingku County, taking the industry as a brand), as an example, some farmers will transfer 9-month calf to the "fattening farm" to focus on the cultivation of cream: brush your body every day to help blood circulation, and feed sake in summer to help you eat. The "Miscellaneous Wagyu" Takamori Niu, produced in the Iwaku Farm in Yamaguchi Prefecture, grew up with the wine meals eaten by high-end Japanese wine festivals. The Mayura pasture in South Australia is a full-blood wagyu cattle that is used for breeding and raising Michelin restaurants. In addition to the unique natural environment, the scent of the South Indian Ocean and the rich groundwater are added to 20 chocolates, dried cucumbers, and candies weighing 2 kg every day to enhance the sweetness and fruity flavor of the meat.

Difference 3: Double-fold pattern vs Balanced pattern

Wagyu ox cut surface is a fatal charm that attracts gourmets and a standard of quality. Comparing meat quality with the same part, Japanese-made meat and frost drop are more severe; Australian-made meat is relatively lean, with more red meat. According to the evaluation of importer Osawa Mitsuo, the Japanese Wagyu feels more delicate on the tip of the tongue, and the fat tastes sweeter. The unique Wagyu fragrance similar to coconut is unforgettable. The maximization of the frost falls is equivalent to the low melting point and the beauty of fatty acids. Only Japanese Wagyu beef can be praised as "melt in the mouth".

Those who like to enjoy chewing and gravy can choose Australian Wagyu beef because the ratio of red meat to frost is even. As for rib-eye steak, it looks like Australia's redness and Japan's whiteness: when tasting, the former has the foot feeling of ordinary steaks, but it has more layers and is more refined in meat, which is suitable for red wines in Cabernet; the latter has a creamy texture that requires little bite force, and the thick gravy is suitable for pairing with vinegar salads, Sapporo beer, or fruity wines. In this way, Japan and Australia are not always competing against each other, but instead expanding the market and creating a variety of food products with value-added value!

Difference 4: Japanese BMS vs Australian MS

and cattle grades are determined by the amount of frost drop as the core. Despite the different certification systems, the higher the grades, the better the meat quality is.. The Japan Meat Grading Association system adopts the 6th to 7th ribs of the slaughter, and the grade is divided into Yield and the overall grade (Grade): The slaughter rate refers to the ratio of meat volume to the actual slaughter weight, and the grades are A (72%), B (69% to 72%), and C (

Meat and Livestock Australia (simplely MLA) responsible for supervising the Australian meat standard MSA (Meat Standards) Australia's Whitney grade is also a comparison system in recent years, but the more common one is the "Frost Descent Scale" MS system (Marble) developed by the Australian Meat Specification Administration (AUS-MEAT). Scale); the sampling area is the 10th to 11th rib. MSA gives a total score of 100 to 1100 for flesh color, frost pattern, fat thickness, butcher weight, maturity, and pH value. The rating advance value is 100; the MS system is similar to BMS, and the rating is 0 to 9, and the 9th or above are marked with 9+. A piece of meat of MSA700 to 800 is equivalent to half of the MS of each of frost and red meat. 5.

So, what is the difference between Japan and Australia if the evaluations are compared with each other? In 2017, the Australian Wagyu Association and the Japanese Carnivorous Preparation Association held an exchange meeting. After comparing the system with a sectional image card, Australia's 9 MSs were equivalent to Japan's BMSs. 3. It shows that the Australian units have insufficient evaluation of the degree of frost drop, and the characteristics of the roughness and fineness of frost drop patterns are still not clear. The chairman of the Japan Gefu Association said that the more detailed the distribution of frost drop patterns in the butchery body, the better the taste, so that they can get high-price rewards.

According to the report of "Walker Street Journal" in 2020, Japanese A5 steak is worth the price. Gold is 100 yuan, and Australia only costs 40 yuan. The two parties compete to compete for the US market. Australia is the first to attract consumption in the US market. The reason behind this comes from different original intentions of Japan and Australia: Japan focuses on cultivating meat that no one can match, and Australia focuses on creating business values ​​that everyone loves. Regardless of the evaluation, the taste preference of gourmets is the key to win.