The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday approved the registration of a new cattle breed named “Yuansing” (源興), the first cattle species developed by a private entity to be approved by the government.
The registration could be considered a last gift to the nation by late president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), an agricultural specialist who promoted policies to improve the nation’s cattle industry.
In 2016, the Lee Teng-hui Foundation purchased 19 heads of cattle — eight bulls and 11 cows — which had been put out to pasture on the Qingtiangang (擎天崗) grassland of Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
They were found to be descendants of draft cattle imported by the Japanese colonial government.
The cattle were not crossbred with other imported cattle, so they are genetically different from other breeds in the nation. They were moved to Shin Kong Chao Feng Ranch and Resort (新光兆豐農場) in Hualien County’s Fonglin Township (鳳林).
Lee had visited the cattle several times in his lifetime and named them Yuansing, after his old family house Yuansing (源興居) in New Taipei City’s Sanjhih District (三芝).
Photo: Taipei Times file
GGP Biotechnology Co Ltd (源興居生技) was established to breed the cattle and promote it in the beef market.
In June 2020, the Lee Teng-hui Foundation applied to the then-Council of Agriculture to register the Yuansing cattle as a new livestock breed.
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday announced that it had been approved, and would be officially registered if it received no objections in three months.
Taiwan Livestock Research Institute Deputy Director-General Cheng Mei-ping (程梅萍) said that most cattle in Taiwan are hybrids between imported breeds, such as American Angus and American Brahman, and local breeds, such as Taiwanese yellow cattle and Taiwanese water buffalo.
An analysis of the Yuansing cattle shows that they are genetically closer to wagyu and other Japanese cattle breeds than imported cattle from Western countries, such as the American Angus, he said.
However, principal component analysis shows that they are an independent breed, as there are significant differences between Yuansing cattle and wagyu, he said.
Department of Animal Industry acting director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) said breed registration is like a pedigree certificate.
According to the Animal Industry Act (畜牧法), once a new breed has been approved, cattle breeding farms can begin commercial breeding of the cattle, he said.
The farms can also apply for pedigree registration of the reproduced cattle, allowing genetic traceability of livestock products, to give consumers access to the beef quality, texture and other features, which would be beneficial to promoting domestic beef, he said.
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