Birth of 25 Wagyu F1 calves will launch specialisation
The chairman of the Tipperary Food Producers, he rears Angus and Hereford on his farm. He learned about Wagyu cattle and their Kobe beef during a Bord Bia-organised visit to Japan.
“Bord Bia runs a programme called Inspiration, and they went to Japan and Australia to look at what’s happening there. I travelled to Japan, where, as part of the course, we came across Wagyu cattle, which have become world famous. The breed can develop concentrated inter-muscular marbling which, according to research, can reduce cholesterol, because it has an oily property similar to fish.”
Whelan joined the Wagyu organisation, and travelled to Australia where he visited a farm which breeds the cattle. Next, he decided to inseminate 25 of his own Angus cattle. He aims to create a mix of the intensely marbled beef of the Wagyu, while offsetting their high fat content with the Angus breed.
