Deer farming moves into the spotlight at demonstration day
Following the success of the first ‘Introduction to Deer Farming’ day held last month, a second event is to be held to give prospective producers an insight into the economics and management issues underlying this growing market.
The demonstration day, organised by the Venison Advisory Service (VAS), will give farmers the opportunity to hear first hand from professionals and experts in deer farming on subjects including herd management and stocking, deer health, fencing and equipment requirements, finance and land management.
The event will take place on Scottish Venison day – 4 September – and will be held at at Culligran Estate near Beauly. Speakers include Malcolm Taylor and Mark Mitchell of Bell Ingram, Alan Sneddon and John Fletcher of VAS, and estate owner and the deer farmer, Frank Spencernairn. There will also be a guided visit to the Culligran deer farm in the afternoon.
Dick Playfair, Director, The Venison Advisory Service Ltd, said the event takes place during exciting times for the production and marketing of deer meat, both wild and farmed:
“We look forward to the new strategy document for the sector that dovetails with Scotland Food and Drink’s Ambition 2030, and the easing of imports from New Zealand gives even greater opportunity for UK deer farmers to get involved.”
Estate owner Spencernairn said that his Culligran Deer Farm which will be the venue for the event was a ‘mature’ deer farm which had been producing stock since the early 1980s:
He said: “We have a breeding herd of around 170 red deer hinds producing 145 calves a year.”