The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Farming: Couple’s deer farming adventure
Deer farming course to be held at Jamie and Natalie Hammond’s Cassafuir Farm
The UK venison market is growing and UK producers cannot currently produce enough venison to meet demand. Scotland has the ideal terrain and climate to farm deer, so it is not surprising that a course on “Farmed Deer and Handling” next month has sold out.
The full-day course is to be held on March 2 at Jamie and Natalie Hammond’s Cassafuir Farm, Port of Menteith, where they run 100 breeding hinds on 130 acres, supplying Dovecote Park in Yorkshire with 16-month-old stags for venison.
Although both from a farming background, this is the Hammonds’ first venture into farming themselves.
They chose deer because they saw the opportunity to produce meat that is highly sought after for its health properties – venison is low in fat and cholesterol and high in protein, omega 3 and iron.
Jamie works in wild deer management with Scottish Natural Heritage, so he could see first-hand the interest and potential in deer farming.
Following an extensive fencing programme, which saw the farm split into 10 paddocks for rotational grazing and grass management, as well as the erection of bespoke handling facilities, the first hinds arrived three years ago from Strathdon and Falkirk.
The plan is to increase the herd to 150 breeding hinds.
Jamie said: “At the moment, we are keeping all the hind calves to build up our herd, but eventually we would hope to see the females as breeding stock for around £500 per head.
“The male calves are kept entire, de-antlered and finished on grass at about 16 months of age at about 100 to 120kg liveweight. We are targeting a 55 to 65kg carcase, with the price currently around £5 to £6 per kg.”
He said that the introduction of the Single Farm Payment and decoupling of support made deer farming a more attractive proposition, but also wanted to produce meat for a growing market and not be totally reliant on subsidy.
The capital outlay was significant, but as start-up farmers, he and Natalie were lucky to be able to access the New Entrant Young Farmer Starter grant to help get them on their feet.
The British Deer Farms and Parks Association (BDFPA) and the Venison Advisory Service (VAS), which are jointly holding the course, saw Cassafuir as an ideal venue to demonstrate both health and handling.
This is the first time such a comprehensive course has run in Scotland for deer farmers and Alan Sneddon, a director of VAS, said: “We are not surprised all the places have been filled with people from all over Scotland – there are great opportunities in deer farming.
In recent years, VAS has had interest, not only from start-up farmers like Jamie and Natalie, but also from mainstream, commercial farmers looking to diversify.
The Venison Advisory Service was established a few years ago to provide quality, experienced, project-led advice and consultancy to those looking at deer farming as a commercial, revenue-generating opportunity.
It can offer advice and guidance on the practical side of fencing, handling facilities and sourcing breeding stock and also on the financial side.
Two open days last year were attended by about 45 people on each day and the plan is to have more this year and possibly two or three courses like the March one as well.
Scotland produces an estimated 3,500 tonnes of venison per annum, of which the vast majority comes from the wild red deer cull, but this is insufficient to meet market demand.
Only 90 tonnes (less than 3%) of Scottish-produced venison currently comes from farmed deer. Consequently, imports, mainly from New Zealand, are sustaining a year-round market.
There is therefore a need to encourage increased production of Scottish-farmed venison in order to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports. It is estimated, according to VAS, that an additional 1,200 tonnes of venison per annum will be required to keep up with demand.
Also presenting at the course will be Lockerbie vet, deer farmer and consultant Gareth Boyes, who will discuss health issues, treatments and preventative measures.
Deer have traditionally been farmed extensively in Scotland and, while fundamentally a healthy, easy-care animal, Gareth recognises there is a great demand for health information to cope with more intensive systems.
He said: “Deer are susceptible to the same range of parasites, gut worms, lung worm and liver fluke, as sheep and cattle, but the challenge is that I may be speaking to people new to the industry and to farming in general.”
Gareth will also touch on mineral deficiencies and fertility issues, but pointed out that the management skills required for deer are not so different from rearing other livestock.
He has also noticed a trend towards existing livestock farmers turning to deer as an alternative.
Gareth added: “These farmers will not find it difficult to adapt to deer. Targets are similar to sheep and cattle, such as keeping calf mortality below 4%.”