Japanese police arrested two operators of a barbecue restaurant in Osaka on the 9th for suspected violations of the livestock infectious disease prevention law. They were accused of attempting to illegally bring the Wagyu fertilized eggs to China which is banned for export.

According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) news on March 9, the two suspects arrested by the Japanese police are Yusuke Maeda (51), who runs a barbecue restaurant in Osaka, and his acquaintance Kokura Riki (64 dead). According to the police, when Ogura took a passenger ship to China in July last year, he tried to bring the fertilized eggs and semen from the Wagyu in hundreds of suction-tube containers after cryopreservation into Shanghai. However, he failed to pass the Chinese custom. After returning home, the fertilized eggs from the Wagyu were confiscated. The Japanese police decided to conduct further investigations to find out who the fertilized eggs is to be handed over, and whether it has been used for reproduction in China after repeated trips to China.

It is understood that Wagyu beef is also very popular overseas. Previously, the Wagyu genetic resources were leaked to Australia, and as a result, the Australian-made “Wagyu” competed with Japanese Wagyu, causing Japanese Wagyu beef exports to be affected. The Japan Animal Products Export Promotion Association therefore also called for “the Japanese government should consider the loss of genetic resources as a big problem when it comes to exporting beef.” There are many companies that want to share genetic resources from Wagyu，this case is nothing more than tip of the iceberg.

Source: https://www.guancha.cn

Time: March 10^th, 2019