Higher deer kill means fewer next year

A higher than expected deer kill this season could mean processors next year have just half the number of deer they had two years ago. DINZ chairman John Scurr said last week farmers were taking advantage of high venison prices, addressing tight cash flow and dry weather in some parts of the country to sell animals reported the ODT. Venison prices have remained high for much of the season and were still at $8.18 a kg for premium grades last week. The deer kill has grown from 450,000 to 500,000 several years ago to more than 700,000 in recent years but looks like dipping back next year. Mr Scurr said it was too early to release numbers, but the trend was there and would have funding implications for the grower's body, DINZ, which got a levy on animals killed. There was no evidence the high kill was harming markets in which DINZ, processors and importers had invested heavily in promotion. Mr Scurr told farmers at the Deer Industry Environment Awards in South Otago that markets wanted NZ venison and on a recent visit to Europe he was delighted to see racks sell for 29 a kg ($NZ71.50) compared with similar cuts of Austrian game venison which retailed for 9 a kg. The higher kill comes as DINZ has also been trying to give farmers the confidence to grow the industry. Mr Scurr said he could not blame deer farmers for taking advantage of high prices, but said it could delay the build up of the herd. Meanwhile, Mr Scurr said farmers had lost the immediate opportunity to take ownership of the velvet industry by rejecting the structure of the Velconz co-operative. Instead, two commercial companies - PGG Wrightson and Tasman Velvet Processors - have established a new company, the NZ Velvet Marketing Company, to market velvet throughout the world. NZVM had handled more velvet than budgeted for in its first year and buyers had reacted favourably.