Researchers breed easier-to-rear cattle with better marbling
By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter
The Taiwan Livestock Research Institute has created a new cattle breed with a shorter feeding period and better beef marbling, which is expected to help conserve Taiwan yellow cattle germplasm and boost the nation’s beef self-sufficiency.
The new cattle breed, nicknamed the “Angus-Yellow,” was developed by crossbreeding Taiwanese yellow cattle and Angus cattle from Australia, the institute said on Wednesday, adding that the research took more than eight years.
The institute said it has long been dedicated to developing new cattle breeds for the domestic beef industry, which are primarily sustained by dairy bull cattle and hybrid yellow cattle.
Sirloin beef from a dairy bull, left, and an Angus-Yellow are pictured in undated photographs.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Livestock Research Institute
Dairy bull cattle have good beef quality, but require more attentive handling, cooler living environments and more refined feed, it said, adding that they are also less resistant to heat and diseases than Taiwan yellow cattle.
Most cattle breeds that are imported from temperate regions, such as Wagyu or Angus, feature good marbling, but are less resistant to Taiwan’s hot weather and local diseases, the institute said.
Taiwan yellow cattle do not grow as fast as dairy bull cattle, but they adapt much better to local conditions, it said.
As they do not have as much marbling as most cattle breeds from temperate areas, many beef farmers crossbreed them with imported cattle breeds, the institute said.
However, privately developed breeds usually have inconsistent marbling and are prone to diseases, it added.
The research team bred Taiwan yellow cattle with different foreign cattle to create a new breed that maintains the former’s heat and disease-resistant germplasm, but has better market potential — such as shorter feeding periods and better marbling, it said.
Angus-Yellow’s feeding period ranges between 21 and 23 months, about one to two months shorter than dairy bull cattle’s up to 24 months, the institute said.
It is also expected to encourage beef farmers to continue rearing Taiwan yellow cattle to use in crossbreeding Angus-Yellow cattle, which would help preserve the hardy breed’s germplasm, it said.
Angus-Yellow cattle are expected to help boost domestic beef’s market share — which accounts for 5 percent of local beef market, the institute said.
The cost of importing an Angus cattle from abroad is NT$200,000, it said, adding that locally produced Angus-Yellow would eliminate such expenses and could be stably supplied in Taiwan for two years.
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