Venison strategy unveiled

Scotland’s first ever strategy for the deer sector wants to see the interests of farmed and wild venison producers pooled to help the £100 million industry continue expanding towards 2030.

The vision for venison also highlights nine key areas for development, including skills-building initiatives, a fund to support new entrants to venison farming and the need for further research and development.

Europe’s deer farming industry started in Scot- land with the first commercial farm being set up in 1973. While the Scottish venison sector was swiftly overtaken by New Zealand, the industry is once more on the up on the domestic front, with 97 deer farm holdings registered in Scotland.

Together the Scottish wild and farmed sectors produce around 3,600 tonnes of deer meat per annum.

Launching the strategy yesterday at Downfield Farm venison processing plant in Cupar, Fife, minister for rural affairs Mairi Gougeon said: “With this strategy in place, the sector in a scotland now has a fantastic opportunity to meet rising demand, displace imports and target new market opportunities.”

She said she welcomed the fact that the industry had come together to build on the foundations put in place by the venison pioneers in Scotland, adding that deer farming and management played a significant role in supporting a thriving and sustainable rural economy.

Bill Bewsher, chairman of the Scottish Venison Partnership, said the strategy pointed the industry in the right direction with a set of common goals for 2030.