Waitrose & Venison

One of those foodie programs regarding where our food comes from ... Guy jimmy the presenter... Seen him with Jamie Oliver on other stuff
Basically covered in responses above
The nature of wild deer in itself does not lend to a steady available supply ... For obvious reasons ....
& we don't farm enough ourselves
Supply & demand ... Age old story

An opportunity for aspiring deer farmers ???
I would like to know more about how to go about it

Paul
 
As far as seasons are concerned, NZ basically doesn't have a season for shooting game apart from birds. We can shoot what we like when we like, controlled only by one`s ethics.
 
I think most farmed deer in NZ are red - wapiti crosses. The wapiti (elk) are bred in for their size.
I was surprised when I went to a farm shop here that specialises in wild game that, as you say, the venison isn't a specific species. No idea which deer it was from.
Cheers,
Hayden

Thanks Hayden, that's interesting to know. Cheers to the other two replies too.

Kond regards, Olaf
 
One of those foodie programs regarding where our food comes from ... Guy jimmy the presenter... Seen him with Jamie Oliver on other stuff
Basically covered in responses above
The nature of wild deer in itself does not lend to a steady available supply ... For obvious reasons ....
& we don't farm enough ourselves
Supply & demand ... Age old story

An opportunity for aspiring deer farmers ???
I would like to know more about how to go about it

Paul

I know a little about the economics of it and find it difficult to believe that there is much money to be had, if your intention is to supply venison only. If you sell your stags to be shot as trophies then this will certainly add significantly to the viability. In addition to which, the cost of start up is really quite high.
 
I worked on a farm a few years ago in Lincolnshire for a harvest season who had recently diversified into deer farming. Ironically Waitrose was the sole end market for all the venison. I could be wrong but I believe that the venison is farmed and sold regionally (I.e. this lot would have been sold in local Waitrose stores to reduce the carbon footprint etc)
 
I worked on a farm a few years ago in Lincolnshire for a harvest season who had recently diversified into deer farming. Ironically Waitrose was the sole end market for all the venison. I could be wrong but I believe that the venison is farmed and sold regionally (I.e. this lot would have been sold in local Waitrose stores to reduce the carbon footprint etc)

Unless the system has changed during the last 12 months, Waitrose only accept red deer which have been transported 'live' to Round Green Farm in Barnsley, Yorkshire. This is currently their only 'approved' deer abattoir. From there, the meat is distributed to wherever in the UK.
I also carried out huge amounts of research into starting a red deer farm and although still extremely keen, I'm struggling to find land.

Paul
Paul
 
Unless the system has changed during the last 12 months, Waitrose only accept red deer which have been transported 'live' to Round Green Farm in Barnsley, Yorkshire. This is currently their only 'approved' deer abattoir. From there, the meat is distributed to wherever in the UK.
I also carried out huge amounts of research into starting a red deer farm and although still extremely keen, I'm struggling to find land.

Paul
Paul

Paul,

The land is the easy bit, it's the fencing that will hit you hard up front. Capital expenditure that you can't write off. Stock is reasonable but you won't have any income until year three.

Stan
 
Paul,

Feel free to Google the farm I worked on (Arden Farms in Lincolnshire) but I am certain that the end market was Waitrose. I could be wrong about the regional thing but that was what I was lead to believe. How long have you been on the search for land for?

Charles
 
Just come back from Tesco with my wife and they have 6 venison sausages on offer for £2, see photo as to where the venison is from. I can make them a lot cheaper and with venison from the UK!
View attachment 48095
ATB 243 Stalker.
 
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HI 243 stalker, you may be able to make them cheaper but by the time you build your processing unit to meet the retailer standards and add in all the compliance costs you will find that the actual producer of these sausages is probably lucky to make 5% Net if he's lucky. Making food for the retailers is a tough game.
The retailers do put a lot of effort into ensuring that consistency is key and that the controls for foreign bodies, chemical contamination (antibiotics and anything else that the vet might have used on the farmed animals), pathogens and allergens are all managed. This costs money for compliance and costs even more if the processor gets it wrong.
Customers are only too ready to complain, even maliciously, and the processor always pays. In the end, if the processor is sharp with his costing model, the end consumer pays to cover all the compliance costs, complaints and promos (Clubcards, Nectar, etc). This is the reason why there is always a massive gulf between what we know something can be made for and what it appears at on the retailer shelf. You're not just paying for the raw material, production cost, packaging, transport and a small margin for the producer - it's all the other bits that cost.
 
As far as seasons are concerned, NZ basically doesn't have a season for shooting game apart from birds. We can shoot what we like when we like, controlled only by one`s ethics.
From my recent experiance, I didn't realise NZ hunters had any ethics!:stir:
 
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Recently met a NZ deer farmer and had quite a long conversation with him about the supplying of supermarkets in the uk, where he informed me that as part of the vac packaging process that they inject nitrogen to extend the shelf life up to 90 days.Not to sure if i want to eat that !!
 
Recently met a NZ deer farmer and had quite a long conversation with him about the supplying of supermarkets in the uk, where he informed me that as part of the vac packaging process that they inject nitrogen to extend the shelf life up to 90 days.Not to sure if i want to eat that !!

chris 1,

Nitrogen is used in all sealed food packaging in the UK. It is after all 80% of what you breathe.
Those packed bread rolls, the bacon, the ketchup bottle that's sealed in a positive Nitrogen environment.

If you don't want to eat it I suggest you stop inhaling it ;)

Stan
 
Paul,

Feel free to Google the farm I worked on (Arden Farms in Lincolnshire) but I am certain that the end market was Waitrose. I could be wrong about the regional thing but that was what I was lead to believe. How long have you been on the search for land for?

Charles
Charles,
Sorry for the late response. I have been searching after appropriate land for about 3 years. I have applied for council farms and literally knocked on peoples' doors!
The search continues, although it has to be local to home (north dorset).
Cheers
Paul
 
The best way to age meat bar none apparently.

The reason they use nitrogen is to displace oxygen (slows aerobic bacteria) but it is also to stop the surface of the meat oxidising for aesthetic reasons which is why supermarket meat looks unnaturally pink in the packets when we all know the surface of the meat will darken slightly with exposure to air.

It's ironic when people wrinkle their noses up at a nice bit of fresh venison because it looks 'off' when actually that is the normal colour of fresh meat compared to the older but pinker supermarket meat!
 
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