YABU, JAPAN - JANUARY 11: An employee holds a calf as buyers watch at the Tajima Wagyu beef cattle auction, operated by JA Tajima, at the Livestock Auction market on January 11, 2017 in Yabu, Japan. 347 Tajima Wagyu beef calves are priced at 291,444,480 Japanese yen ( 2,497,949US$) at todays auction. Tajima Wagyu calves stay on a farm from birth and are sent to the livestock auction after 9 or 10 months when they reach a weight of 700 kilograms and will sell as meat when they reach 2 years old. According to JA Tajima, Tajima Wagyu calf prices began to rise in 2012 but the amount of calves has started to drop because the younger generation are not happy to continue with their family livestock farm. In Japan, genuine Kobe wagyu beef comes only from the Tajima-gyu cow which is born, reared and slaughtered in the Hyogo prefecture, making the breed very rare. Known for it's extensive marbling and tenderness, Kobe beef is one of the world's most expensive meats. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
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Getty Images News Buddhika Weerasinghe