TOKYO, Aug. 10 – Production of wagyu beef totaled 161,000 tons in 2020, up 9,000 tons, or 6 percent, from a year before, according to a survey by the agriculture ministry. The volume of production increased for four years in a row since 2017 and the ministry attributes the rise to the livestock producers clustering program that helped empower farmers’ businesses. In 2018, the ministry set a target of doubling the annual wagyu production from some 150,000 tons at the time to 300,000 tons in 2035 and has been taking measures to achieve the goal. Due to the decline in the number of breeding cows following the 2010 foot-and-mouth disease … Continue reading →

TOKYO, August 9 – The farm ministry of Japan has recently created virtual reality (VR) videos that offer a virtual experience of accidents in the agriculture, forestry, fisheries sectors, and the food industry. These industries have higher accident rates than others, and the videos aim to raise safety awareness further. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) also anticipates using the movies in training by prefectures and local agricultural cooperatives. MAFF produced six 3-minute VR videos on accidents in four sectors-livestock, food manufacturing, wood, and fishing-in collaboration with private companies. For example, the video for the livestock industry workers offers a virtual experience of a cow attack that broke … Continue reading →