Boost for venison launch at Royal Norfolk Show

Saturday, June 18, 2011
11:09 AM

An £800,000 project to promote wild venison from farm to plate in the eastern region will be launched at the Royal Norfolk Show later this month.

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As demand for venison exceeds supply, the East of England’s wild venison project aims to ensure that increasing volumes in the food chain reach the customer.

The Country Land and Business Association has welcomed the intiative, which will provide an opportunity to harvest more of the the rapidly rising deer numbers.

Norfolk’s CLA chairman, Roly Beazley, said: “Members have a real problem from the rapidly rising number of deer which cause serious damage to our woodland and crops.

“This project is helping them turn that problem into an advantage – both the sporting aspect and sales.”

Graham Riminton, venison project officer for the Deer Initiative (DI) which is managing the scheme, said: “In the eastern region we have far too many deer and culling is urgently needed. At the same time we have high demand for good quality venison which has increased substantially over the past 10 years.

“This project therefore has been established to bring the two together by developing the wild venison supply chain through activities that will also support sustainable land and woodland management, simultaneously improving deer management, and the collection, storage, processing and distribution facilities for the venison generated.”

With funding from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and the Forestry Commission, it will also provide advice and training from improving woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest, stalker skills, butchery and food hygiene standards and marketing.

The fund will provide 50pc match funding for investment in equipment including all-terrain vehicles, quad bikes, mules – to carry carcases, chillers, butchery equipment and delivery vans.

Mr Beazley said that “standards in the way venison is handled are now very different and quality is high. This is bringing customers to this tasty, low-fat meat in the first place – and then bringing them back again for more.”

Mr Riminton said that eight grants of about £82,000 had been made including several small-scale involving investment of as little as £2,000 for installing chill facilities in a converted garage.

Several potential schemes were under consideration in Norfolk.

More are coming through, two of which are in Norfolk. On one estate 
a contribution may be made to house a deer larder/chiller, preparation area, and ancillary equipment, 
and an independent part-time 
deer manager has funding to help 
to construct a larder building, 
install a refrigeration unit and 
equip it with butchering equipment.

“In return for this support applicants must show some ‘additionality’ – doing more or better quality work than prior to the grant and improvements in at least some of the project objectives,” said Mr Riminton.

The objectives are:

n Improving and stimulating the supply of wild venison to local markets.

n Improving wild deer management. n Improving the Woodland SSSIs (or other wildlife designations) in the region

n Reducing the number of road accidents associated with wild deer.

n Supporting landowners in the region to improve their agricultural yields through improved land management.

The CLA’s stand, 128, opposite the vice-presidents’ pavilion, will have details of the wild venison project and the deer initiative.

Details from Mr Riminton: vpoeastern@thedeerinitiative.co.uk 07966 966390.