Nine- to 10-month-old Wagyu weanlings with an average weight of 300kg made prices exceeding €4,000 at a sale outside Tokyo, Japan, on Friday.

The weanling sale, visited by the Irish Farmers Journal and Bord Bia, saw approximately 1,000 weanlings of the Japanese breed presented for sale.

The mart runs the auction twice monthly and there was strong attendance by sellers and buyers on the day.

The weanlings are kept in groups before being lined up in the order that they will enter the sales ring.

The weanlings, both bullocks and heifers, are bought for further feeding and either sold at 20 months old for finishing or brought the whole way through to 30 months by the buyer for slaughter at approximately 850kg.

Cattle were docile in nature, with many having received ample human handling since birth.

Wagyu cattle in Japan kill out at about 68%, with the desired carcase weight of 550kg and more fetching prices of €20/kg to €30/kg, depending on the beef’s marbling and quality.

Mart system

All cattle were sold individually, with the name of the animal’s sire and their dam’s sire advertised by the auctioneer as they enter the ring. The same breeding background is displayed in a catalogue to accompany the sale.

The livestock are managed on a pulley system, where they are haltered and then moved around the mart, tethered to a movable chain which hangs overhead.

They are grouped in pens prior to being moved by the mart’s cattle drovers, one by one and tied in rows before their turn to enter the ring.

Weanlings are strictly organised in line, depending on their lot number. They are tied to railings with a short halter, which leaves them unable to sit down.

The weanlings are also washed and brushed prior to sale to show the animals' coat and condition.

Cattle are sold quickly through online bidding, with the animal's genetics already known prior to them entering the ring.

Lot numbers are tied with a band to the animal’s head and the buyer’s docket is pinned to the animal’s pen for collection.

The mart ran a strict disease prevention protocol, with each vehicle having to drive through disinfectant when arriving at the premises and there were several shoe disinfection points on the premises.