Deer Farming Catches On

Deer Farming Catches On AG WORLD Ag World 8-6-5 "We're contracting with farmers for their venison at $2.10 a pound but we expect to pay more," says Robert J. Sims, general manager of the British Deer Producers Society Ltd. who is responsible for marketing venison produced by members of the newly formed marketing association. Deer farming is catching on fast in Britain and the new association was formed in an attempt to organize the marketing of individual producers who have been selling meat through their own farm shops and local retailers. Sims expects the ranks of the original 33 founding members to swell to more than 1,000 in the next year or so, especially since the demand for venison in Britain is great. "We've had orders that we're not able to fill from the largest supermarket chains in Britain. Demand is tremendous and we can only see improvement in the future," reports Sims. The new association also markets breeding stock to new deer farmers. Together with the British Deer Farmers Association, which was formed in November 1978 to educate deer farmers, the association is hoping to get more farmers to try deer as a "cash crop". The British Deer Farmers Association publishes a quarterly magazine with educational articles and provides basic information about deer farming to anyone interested. They also put farmers in touch with exporters of Red Deer, the best breed for domestication. Membership in the British Deer Farmers Association costs $25 per year. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, British Deer Farmers Association, M. Crawford, Cluanie, Teanassie, By Beauly, Inverness-Shire, Scotland.

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