The AWA uses a standardized animal identification (ID) format to ensure precise traceability and accurate record-keeping of wagyu cattle. The ID format includes a combination of letter and numbers to denote specific details about the animal.
The ID begins with the three-letter member ID that represents the original registered breeder. This does not change through the life of the animal, even if this animal is transferred to another member.
This is followed by the number or letter identifying the grade of wagyu content within the animal. When submitting a DNA test request, you may not know the grade of the animal, in this case you can utilise an underscore (_) in place of the grade.
After the grade, the year of birth is included in the ID. This is known as the year code. Prior to 2022 the year of birth was encoded to a single letter, such as S representing 2021 drop animals. With the increase in use of artificial breeding techniques, we have the opportunity to use genetic material from animals that are deceased for a number of years. This, combined with advancements in record keeping, has created the issue of confusing animals from different years using the same year letter, and as such the inclusion of the last two digits of the year as part of the year code (22T for example).
The Wagyu year codes can be found at the following link – https://www.wagyu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AWA-YRCODE_web.pdf
This is followed by the unique sequence of numbers used to identify the animal individually, typically the tag or drop number. Provided is an example of how you would fill in the AWA Ident section of the DNA test request form on Helical for animal 012, an unknown content animal born in 2024 to member AWA.