Any thoughts on Kobe beef? One of my friends went on a trip to Japan and was very excited to try 'authentic' Kobe, and told me all about the strict welfare standards to produce it, then tried it and adored it. Was quite expensive as well. My friend made it sound like the most looked after and revered cattle in Japan.So I was just wondering if you know some more.
Kobe is beef for foodies, not for people concerned about welfare. It is high quality meat from bulls or uncalfed cows who are slaughtered between 28 and 60 months, so they don’t exactly live a long life.
Kobe certification standards are stringent, but they are more to do with traceability, breeding, meat quality and texture than anything else. You can read the criteria here - note that welfare is literally never even mentioned. It is not even considered important enough to cover in their FAQs.
Kobe beef farmers will tell the same story that all farmers do, that their cows are treated uniquely well, they’re basically pets, they have the best life then they enjoy a quick death. I have never encountered any farmer who doesn’t think that animals are treated uniquely well in their country, and I hear it a lot from consumers as well. It is nothing new, and crucially, it is nothing legal.
I can’t find any information on their site about any welfare standards imposed on farmers or slaughterhouses, much less details about any verification or inspection system. It is likely that because their meat is so valuable they probably are generally treated better than standard cattle are, but this is very much not a welfare certification. Even the infamously poor Red Tractor farms here in the UK have far more welfare conditions imposed on them, and are at least subject to welfare inspections, however infrequent and inadequate.
Your friend has bought into a luxury brand like any other. It is a bougie product kept artificially scarce and aimed at the rich, with a lot of talk about the “purity of the bloodline” and barely even a mention about animal welfare or slaughter procedures. Whoever sold it to your friend saw them coming a mile off, and simply told them what they wanted to hear.
