Warrendale Wagyu Conference 2024
News story
27th Sep 2024
Warrendale Wagyu Conference 2024
Day One was held at the Forest Pines Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Broughton, Brigg, North Lincolnshire where two main conference sessions were followed by a South American-themed Wagyu gala dinner, after dinner speaker and charity auction.
Following lunch provided by Warrendale’s main processing partner, Dovecote Park, Session One was introduced by BWA Company Secretary Richard Saunders who highlighted continued strong growth in the UK Wagyu sector - underpinned by ever-increasing awareness of Wagyu beef and Wagyu genetics. “I have to congratulate each and every person here for your part in this phenomenal success story. BCMS figures for the 12 months to the end of July stand at 43,845 births - up another 23% on the year - whilst membership is at over 700.”
Before formally opening proceedings, Jim Bloom, who founded Warrendale Wagyu’s fully integrated beef scheme back in 2017, was presented with the King’s Award for Innovation by Jim Dick OBE, Lord Lieutenant of East Yorkshire and personal representative of HM The King.
,,Concluding, James said: “As a farmer’s son growing up, it was a very bleak outlook for livestock production at that time. But today we sit in a revolutionary place where we are consistently delivering quality Wagyu beef produced to the highest welfare and environmental standards. And importantly, we have a system which is delivering a fair return.”
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Conference Session One addressed the theme “Warrendale Wagyu – Now and the Future” with the first paper given by MD Tom Richardson. Tom underlined the importance of long-term direct contracts with retailers like Aldi, being fundamental to the integrated nature of the supply chain giving both confidence and price stability from the farmer right through to the customer. Tom also highlighted how they are building markets outside of the UK with some key partnerships developing across Europe and into Asia. Current kill is at 175-225 head of F1 (first generation cross) Wagyu per week with current births already hitting 700 per week, however by growing its existing network of farmers, rearers, growers and finishers, Warrendale are setting their sights on 1,000 head per week and beyond.
“We already have 17,000 slaughter records, and with maternal and terminal data coming in all the time, we are harnessing the power of this information which is key to future efficiencies and return. We are now identifying the next generation of bulls with higher marble scores, fewer days to finish and heavier carcase weights,” said Tom.
Next up was Warrendale Farms’ CEO James Thornton on the subject of “Delivering to Farmer Partners.” He explained how, following work by GSC Grays into costings across a representative sample of their farmers, Warrendale was moving to a more formal cost-of-production pricing model. On top of the existing £50 slaughter premium for dairy farmers, he announced price increases for growers and finishers plus a grower bonus of £25/head if animals achieve above a daily liveweight gain of 0.8kg. Warrendale were also exploring ways of reducing input costs through centralised purchasing of straw and milk powder, for example.
Customer Perspectives were the focus of Conference Session Two with presentations by Fred Smith, Head of Beef, Flat Iron followed by Nic Truswell, Commercial Controller, Dovecote Park.
Day Two started with an optional visit to Dovecote Park’s Skellingthorpe processing facility including a demonstration of the MIJ (Meat Image Japan) carcase camera. There followed the Thompson Family’s Scurf Dyke Farm near Driffield, East Yorkshire for an impressive tour of the 1,500-head unit and its facilities. The Thompsons have been working with Warrendale for 8 years and were one of the original farmers to join their integrated Wagyu scheme. A progressive family farm, having changed their farming system in 2016 from dairy to beef, they have continually expanded their production system, embracing advice and collaborative working. The visit included specific workshops on dairy production, calf rearing, growing cattle, nutrition and meat quality.