Carcasses could be left on hill if prices continue to fall

Catering sector shutdown and a severe drop in exports could lead to long-term impact on venison market, according to industry insiders

Estates may come under pressure to shoot deer and leave their carcasses to rot after venison prices fell even further.

The price of venison was already depressed before the COVID-19 outbreak, with industry insiders blaming largescale culls in Europe for low prices in the UK.

However, the almost continent-wide shutdown of the restaurant trade has caused venison prices to slide even further, with stalkers reporting receiving less than £1 a kilo for red deer venison, half of what dealers were paying before Christmas 2019.

Along with fees paid by visiting stalkers, the price of venison is normally used by estates to offset the cost of culling deer. The price decline, combined with political pressure to reduce deer numbers, has led to speculation that estates may come under pressure to shoot deer and leave carcasses to rot – a policy previously adopted by the John Muir Trust on its estate on the Knoydart peninsula. Richard Cooke, chairman of the Association of Deer Management Groups, told Shooting Times: “Price changes are inevitable with the market in such a state of flux – remember that the entire restaurant, catering and food service sector has been shutdown for four months and can only resume at a fraction of its former capacity.

“The export market, likewise, will be adversely affected. The game/venison sector relies on game dealers/processors to buy raw product and their businesses have been hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis, so one must expect that what was normal before will not be normal now. There are not many of them and they have businesses and jobs to protect, too. The situation is unprecedented and it is difficult to know where the price will stabilise based on tentative rates at the opening of the season.

“We know from our own ADMG survey that stalkers/producers will look at alternatives and we can expect some changes. The crisis has seen an upswing in mail order and other routes to market, including ‘click and collect’, although these volumes will in no way compensate for the food service business lost.

“From a deer-management perspective what is important is that the cull is delivered and that the venison is not wasted – a short-term reduction in price may be the penalty to keep the supply chain working. That is surely better than it not working at all. We would hope, however, that the price will recover as the market returns to normal.”

“The crisis has seen an upswing in mail order and other routes to market, such as click and collect”

Take advantage of early mornings and light evenings for some daytime foxing. Smart foxes can learn that they are likely to be hunted at night and can switch to daytime hunting. A quiet stakeout in an upwind position during daylight can catch out a wary animal and give you a shot.

FOXES

Fieldsports enthusiasts are the eyes and ears of the countryside and a key thing to watch out for during the summer months is ‘sewage fungus’.

This slimy brown coating on stream beds looks like very fine hair and can indicate a pollution problem upstream. If you think you have noticed this or any other sign of pollution, your local rivers trust should be able to advise on what to do.

CHECK

Stalkers are reporting receiving less than £1 a kilo for venison