Police in Japan have questioned a farmer as part of a widening investigation into the illegal sale and smuggling of sperm and fertilised eggs from the nation’s prized “wagyu” beef cattle to China.
Known as the “Rolls-Royce of beef”, “wagyu” comes from just four domestic Japanese breeds and cattle are famously fed beer and massaged daily to ensure that their meat is of the highest quality.
Agriculture authorities in Japan are becoming increasingly concerned that foreign cattle farmers might be able to obtain the genetic material required to build up “wagyu” herds overseas, enabling them to rival Japanese farmers.
Another concern is that the quality of “wagyu” from foreign herds might not be as high as Japanese-raised beef, which could damage the reputation of the entire industry.
The cattle farmer, from Tokushima Prefecture in southern Japan, has admitted selling the sperm and fertilised eggs for “several million yen” to a man he had never met before, Kyodo News reported, although the man told police that he was not aware that the samples were to be taken out of the country.
The farmer, who has not been named by the authorities, was implicated in the case by an elderly Japanese man from Osaka, who attempted to export the sperm and eggs to China last year.
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The man took a ferry from Osaka to Shanghai in July, carrying a metal container of liquid nitrogen and hundreds of samples of genetic material from “wagyu” cattle.
The man was stopped by Chinese customs as he had failed to obtain a quarantine inspection certificate from Japan. After returning to Osaka and applying for the correct paperwork, authorities launched an investigation.
The man has been charged with violating the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law, which carries a maximum penalty of up to three years in prison or a fine of Y1 million (£6,750).
The man has said he was not aware it was illegal to take genetic samples overseas and that he was doing “an acquaintance” a favour by delivering them to a Chinese man who would meet him in Shanghai.
Japan is sensitive about the theft of its genetic resources, with the seeds of a number of expensively developed fruit varieties – including strawberries and grapes – already smuggled abroad.