James Matts will head Elders push into Wagyu genetics marketing

ELDERS has embraced the expanding Australian Wagyu genetics marketplace, launching its first sale of semen and embryos on February 10 via the AuctionsPlus online platform.

The company’s inaugural sale heads a comprehensive program of online Wagyu genetics sales planned by Elders for 2021.

Leading the company’s re-entry into the Wagyu genetics market is a new member of its stud stock team, James Matts.

Elders had a prominent footprint in Wagyu genetics marketing up until four or five years ago, but withdrew for a period. Grant Daniel Long has been Australia’s primary Wagyu genetics agency for the past four years, holding a series of record-breaking Elite Wagyu Sales since 2017. These sales will continue this year, the Australian Wagyu Association has confirmed.

Elders’ first online Wagyu auction next month will offer more than 100 semen and embryo lots from around 20 vendors, promoted into both domestic and international Wagyu markets.

The genetic diversity in the first Wagyu sale catalogue was outstanding and would cater to a wide range of Wagyu production systems, James Matts said.

“It is positive to see such support from Wagyu breeders and there will be some extremely valuable bloodlines on the market this February,” he said.

“Australian vendors were the first to put their hands up for this opportunity and, subsequently, we’ve had to book more sale dates with Auctions Plus.

“We look forward to releasing the full auction catalogue closer to the sale. The interest in the sale has already been very positive,” he said.