Big bucks for firm in £13m deer deal
A firm is to buy thousands of tons of wild venison after signing a £ 13million contract with the Scottish Government.
In the f ive- year deal , Dundee’s Highland Game will process 97 per cent of deer culled by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) into venison products for sale in the UK and overseas.
It amounts to almost 1000 tons – or 39,000 carcasses – of venison a year.
The company won the contract after a competitive tendering process.
By weight, red deer will account for 70 per cent of the venison, followed by roe (15 per cent), sika (10 per cent) and fallow (five per cent).
Ove r a l l , Scot l a nd produces about 3500 tons of wild venison and 70 tons of farmed venison each year.
Government agency FLS manages deer numbers through sustainable culls to prevent overpopulation.
Speaking on a visit to Highland Game, rural affairs minister Mairi Gougeon said deer management was “essential to help reduce Scotland’s deer population to non- damaging levels to protect the environment”.
She added: “As part of our ambition to create a circular economy, we should ensure this lean, healthy source of protein reaches the food chain.
“This contract will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s £7.25million a year venison industry.”
She added that the deal would sustain hundreds of rural jobs.