Tesco venison

PointBlank

Well-Known Member
I have just been to a Tesco and I noticed that all the venison is back to being farmed New Zealand instead of highland game. Obviously their contract didn't last long!
 
I suppose it all comes down to regular supply, but it beggars belief that it can be more cost effective to bring a farmed animal half way around the world than one that is farmed here, or even a wild one which hasn't cost anything to rear!:cuckoo:
Then we go and export loads of our Roe to Europe!!!
It's crazy, but at least people are getting around to the idea of eating it regularly which has to be a good thing!:thumb:
MS
 
Its all New Zealand venison in Lidls as well who say they are a supporter of Scottish produce. Its back to the issue that we export most of our venison to Europe.
 
new zealand farmed deer is bigger than the beef trade out there it was amazing to see how many deer farms where dotted about the place .
whilst we were stalking a piece of ground we spotted a couple of tagged deer out in the wilds, atb wayne
 
I would say that in many cases, the farmed New Zealand product is of much higher quality than that available from many UK game dealers. The Kiwi's standard of butchery is of an incredibly high standard, and their marketing of the product worldwide is spot on.

The other reason why farmed venison (UK or NZ sourced) has the edge over wild, is its consistency. A buyer can order 100 venison haunches from farmed deer, and every one will be identical in quality.

Wild or farmed?? ....... Which is best??

Regards,

Mike.
(Director - Jelen Deer Services)
 
It is just a shame that there is money being spent and people making an effort to promote wild venison but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have taken off with the countries biggest retailer.
 
Th larger retailers want consistency of supply, and the higher-end retailers (Waitrose, M&S Etc.) want both consistency AND quality. In my opinion VERY FEW wild venison processors can deliver that. That's why UK farmed venison is sought by many Waitrose and M&S stores.
 
Got to agree with Jelendeer.

I've seen how some Scottish wild venison is harvested and presented, and TBH it was disgusting.

This was on a "best practice" event, held in a Royal location, and it was an embarrassment to see the trainers having to cut away gross contamination before trying making the best of the poor carcasses during the butchery class.

We even went hungry at lunch because the caterers had to discard the majority of the meat provided, before making the venison chilli.

I could go on, I later saw some disgraceful practices on a large Scottish island. Deer shot in dubious circumstances (at night, by lamp, on quad bikes) then left to be collected next day, dragged down by the quads, and only then gralloched. I was camped in a forestry clearing and witnessed it all.

Maybe prejudiced because an ex GF comes from a family of NZ deer farmers, and I know how well they do things.

Park culls, and/or the stuff I shoot myself is what fills my freezer. If I had to buy it retail, NZ farmed deer would be my first choice. If I knew of an outlet for English farmed deer, likewise. Not interested in Scottish wild venison, I know too much about it.
 
Having worked in both the Scottish Wild Deer sector and the New Zealand Deer Farming sector I would say from my experience the previous comments are a little harsh!

Bottom line is that both sectors are able and generally do produce a high quality product, of course there are good and bad examples avialable on both sides.

I have seen some venison hanging in game dealers fridges that looks like it has been gralloched with a blunt chainsaw, equally I have seen some farmed deer in NZ with Johne's disease which is not exactly appetising!

The major advantage for the NZ deer producers is that the deer are slaughtered and processed in state of the art purpose built abatoirs, which drastically reduces any risk of contamination and as previously mentioned the farming environment enables you to produce a very consistent product.

Add into the equation that NZ farmers are allowed to harvest velvet and you get an affordable product that lends itself well to the export market.

I am more than happy to eat either product, although the day I have to pay for venison in a supermarket will be a sad day indeed!

Regards

BP
 
Initiatives like the Scottish Quality Wild Venison (SQWV) assurance scheme, and the practical work done by the East of England Wild Venison project are a step in the right direction.

Promoting Venison | The Deer Initiative is worth a scan.

There is still room for improvement in "the fragmented and often small-scale nature of the game meat industry".

The promotion of venison, particularly in Scotland, has resulted in a real shortage, which can now only be met by imports.

Scotland needs dramatic upswing in deer farm numbers to meet venison demand

The Scottish Venison Partnership has announced today 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 product. 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 per cent 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 well-being, 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 who 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.”
 
I've sold most of mine to one of the national game dealers over the past couple of years (and got a good price), but just recently, demand from some local butchers and restaurants has provided me with a better and more lucrative outlet. It involves a bit more work and running around, but it seems to be worthwhile at the moment. I received help from the East of England Wild Venison project which has undoubtedly helped me to achieve this.
MS
 
not all Tesco venison is from New Zealand in the finest range they advertise that they do finest Scottish venison pate at £3 for 200g
 
Deer farms on the scale that the UK does them does not pay.
At the moment there is not enough demand for venison.
The problem is that the carcasses are not worth enough.
They need large areas for grazing and expensive fencing. They are still wild animals not domesticated stock and require special handling and handling systems.
I used to sell to a local butcher. Skinned on his premises and then he'd butcher it. He said that doing it that way meant he could offer it at the same price as lamb. One day he stopped calling. I guess he found out about N.Z.
 
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