Rise in Demand for Scottish Venison

The Scottish Venison Partnership has announced that if things don't change Scotland will lose out as the lucrative venison market grows, and that the country needs up to 500 more deer farms to cope with an ever-increasing demand for this popular food.

The group, which represents Scotland's venison industry, is also about to commission a study into the feasibility of large-scale venison parks in an attempt to address the shortage of home-produced venison, and is advocating the promotion of roe venison, in addition to the more traditional red deer venison, to boost supply.

Globally, Scotland should be at the forefront of venison production but despite having the land, the deer, the "Monarch of the Glen" heritage and a huge and increasing demand, Scotland is being left behind with venison being imported from New Zealand and Europe to compensate for the lack of available, home-produced supply.

Venison sales across the UK grew from £32m in 2006 to £43m in 2009, an increase of over 34% in three years.

The market is still growing due to a number of factors, including increased awareness, TV food programmes extolling the virtues of venison as a tasty, healthy, versatile food, popularity with top chefs, and game dealer/processor initiatives to encourage major supermarkets to list their venison products.

The proposition fits well with Scottish Government objectives for sustainable economic development and social wellbeing, and the Scottish Venison Partnership is hoping that once the study into the financial viability of large-scale farming is complete, a number of pilot schemes can be set up from which the results will encourage others to enter the sector.

Meanwhile, the partnership will continue to promote Scottish roe venison and Scottish red deer venison, albeit in declining quantities, to a public which can't get enough.

Chairman of the Scottish Venison Partnership, Stephen Gibbs, said: "We have a huge opportunity here to capitalise on a growing demand, not just in the UK but globally too, where Scottish venison is seen as a world-class, high-quality food.

"In Scotland we have been eating venison long before our reliance on beef, lamb, pork or chicken, and if we can move up several gears on the production front we can ensure a consistent supply in the future."

Once again, 4 September 2011 marks Eat Scottish Venison Day, and many restaurants, pubs, hotels and shops across the whole of the UK are making sure that Scottish venison features highly for then, including Vintage Inns, Whitbread Inns, Sainsbury's and Punch Taverns, with special venison dishes on the menu of many hotels and restaurants UK wide.

The Scottish Venison Partnership, which comprises private and public sector organisations with a direct interest in, or responsibility for, Scottish venison, wild and farmed, and its generic promotion, includes: the Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG); Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA); British Deer Farms and Parks Association (BDFPA); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish Federation of Meat Traders Association (SFMTA); the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA); Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); and Scottish Quality Wild Venison (SQWV).

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