Forward and Backward Linkages of Wagyu Beef Production in the Local Economy

The economic effects of beef cattle production on the local economy are not limited to the beef cattle sector; backward and forward linkage effects ripple through other sectors.We evaluated the linkage effects of Wagyu beef production in Shiga Prefecture.The findings are: (1) the backward and forward linkage effects are 10,950-and 14,324-million yen, respectively, which are 1.18-and 1.54-times the value of Wagyu beef production; (2) the backward linkage effect rippling within the prefecture is limited to 15.0% of the total effect, whereas the forward linkage effect rippling within the prefecture is 76.7% of the total effect.