Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef

Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef

Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef is a specialty of Jingyuan County, Guyuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Jingyuan County has truly become the largest core area for beef cattle breeding in the mountainous regions of southern Ningxia, as well as a distribution hub for the production, processing, and sales of beef cattle in northwest China. Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Jingyuan County has long valued the development of animal husbandry. As early as the Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, cattle and horses were abundant, and the yellow cattle raised there were said to “drink mineral water every day and eat Chinese herbal medicine at every meal,” earning the beef the prestigious title of “the pride of beef.” After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, beef cattle breeding was mainly based on free-range grazing. Herders created a folk game called “herding cattle” during their leisure time, which became widely popular due to its participatory and lively nature, and has been passed down to this day. Since 2007, Jingyuan County has been designated by Ningxia as the ecological beef cattle breeding base around the Liupan Mountains. The county Party committee and government have identified the grass and livestock industry as a pillar for promoting regional socioeconomic development and increasing farmers’ incomes. Through innovative mechanisms, increased investment, and strong promotion, the beef cattle breeding industry has shown great momentum for growth, forming a unique “Jingyuan Beef Cattle Breeding Model” that has been widely promoted and implemented across the region. To expand publicity for beef cattle breeding, a national and regional “Yellow Cattle Festival” and “Cattle Competition” have been held every two years for five consecutive sessions, fostering a rich culture surrounding the development of the yellow cattle industry.

　　In recent years, relying on its unique resource advantages, Jingyuan County has adhered to market orientation, technology leadership, and innovation-driven development. By addressing bottlenecks, expanding scale, improving standards, and building platforms, the county has established and improved investment mechanisms and incentive policies based on rewards in lieu of subsidies. It has continuously refined systems for breed improvement, forage cultivation, processing, and modulation, technical services, disease prevention, and market circulation. This has led to the formation of a “Jingyuan Beef Cattle Breeding Model” characterized by large-scale breeding, standardized housing, premium breeds, diversified forage, market-oriented marketing, and technology-driven services. The “Jingyuan Yellow Cattle” geographical indication and geographical trademark have been registered. The Qinghai (Halal) series of beef products from the Jing River have obtained organic certification. The county has been officially named the “Ningxia High-Quality Beef Cattle Breeding Demonstration County” by the autonomous region. The Halal brands “Liupan Mountain” and “Jing River” enjoy fame both within and beyond the region. The county’s annual cattle inventory has reached 195,000 head, with per capita income from animal husbandry amounting to 825 yuan. The newly built designated slaughterhouse processes over 50 beef cattle per day. The “Halal” beef product series are sold across the country. Jingyuan County has truly become the largest core area for beef cattle breeding in the mountainous regions of southern Ningxia, as well as a distribution hub for the production, processing, and sales of beef cattle in northwest China.

　　In 2013, the “Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef” application submitted by the Jingyuan County Animal Husbandry Technology Extension Service Center passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was granted national agricultural geographical indication registration protection.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographic indication area for agricultural products includes 110 administrative villages across 4 townships and 3 towns in Jingyuan County: Xinmin Township, Jingheyuan Town, Xingsheng Township, Xiangshui Town, Huanghua Township, Liupanshan Town, and Dawan Township. The protected area lies between 106°12′15″–106°30′5″ east longitude and 35°14′20″–35°37′25″ north latitude. The region produces 230,000 beef cattle and 21,000 tons of yellow cattle beef annually.

　　Product Quality and Characteristic Features

　　1. External sensory characteristics: Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef is tender, lean, and low in fat. The beef has a cherry-red color, with ivory-white fat, and features a thin elastic membrane on the surface.   2. Internal quality characteristics: The lean meat ratio of Jingyuan Yellow Cattle Beef is 80–85%, with a net meat yield exceeding 43%. Its protein content ranges between 21–23%, and fat content is between 0.1–0.3%.   3. Safety requirements:    ① Strengthen hygiene management of yellow cattle breeding facilities, maintain regular sanitation and disinfection, prevent or reduce disease occurrence, and strictly follow vaccination protocols to ensure 100% immunization coverage.    ② Breeders must adhere to feeding technical requirements and operational procedures to ensure optimal conditions in terms of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and stocking density in the housing environment.    ③ Strictly comply with Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP), ISO9001:2000 quality management system standards, as well as laws and regulations such as the Food Safety Law and the Plant and Animal Quarantine Law, along with related management measures, product quality standards, technical specifications, hygiene requirements, and inspection procedures, to ensure product quality and safety.