Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Why Britain has a deer problem
Deer numbers have rocketed over the last 40 years and particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.
www.bbc.co.uk
BBC and deer - a refreshingly balanced piece…
- Thread starter Foxyboy43
- Start date
www.bbc.co.uk
palmer_mike
Well-Known Member
Why Britain has a deer problem - BBC News
Deer numbers have rocketed over the last 40 years and particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.
www.bbc.com
palmer_mike
Well-Known Member
Yes, just read the article and as you say seems very balanced an overall supportive of deer management
palmer_mike
Well-Known Member
I have shared the article on Facebook and everywhere else I could think of, probably a good idea to try and get it out there as much as possible?
maximus otter
Well-Known Member
It’s amusing to hear George Monbiot advocating the release of wolves and lynx to tear deer apart while alive. I wonder what his opinion is concerning fox hunting?
maximus otter
maximus otter
It’s a very good article 
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
And taking the firearms from Aussie hunters will lead to a far worse problem here with deer.
TringSaint
Well-Known Member
Some of the suggestions are crackers tho - darting with contraceptives??
The idea of introducing bears or wolves is also unrealistic unless it’s within huge fenced off estates - wouldn’t look good if people walking on footpaths were getting mauled by carnivorous predators!!
I can see the Scottish approach of forcing land owners to do something about their deer populations coming into the rest of the UK - landowners are concerned an want to do something about it but many don’t know who to turn to.
In the last week I have picked up two more permissions totalling c1000ac near me because the land owners have reached a point where the deer are now too great in numbers to be ignored.
The idea of introducing bears or wolves is also unrealistic unless it’s within huge fenced off estates - wouldn’t look good if people walking on footpaths were getting mauled by carnivorous predators!!
I can see the Scottish approach of forcing land owners to do something about their deer populations coming into the rest of the UK - landowners are concerned an want to do something about it but many don’t know who to turn to.
In the last week I have picked up two more permissions totalling c1000ac near me because the land owners have reached a point where the deer are now too great in numbers to be ignored.
I've pinched that and and enailed my MP although doubt there will be a response:It’s amusing to hear George Monbiot advocating the release of wolves and lynx to tear deer apart while alive. I wonder what his opinion is concerning fox hunting?
maximus otter
I hope you've had a good Christmas.
This is a surprisingly balanced article from the BBC on deer and conservation which you may find interesting and is relevant given my current previously mentioned issues waiting for a firearms certificate.
Why Britain has a deer problem
Regarding one of the suggestions - whilst I'd personally love to see wolves, lynx and bear throughout the UK again, releasing large predators which will, on a very frequent basis chase down prey and tear them apart, potentially in packs, seems ill fitting with Labour's stance on hunting with hounds (which 'hunt' less frequently than these wonderful apex predators and can at least be called off by people) so I presume your party will be against such reintroductions? The PETA suggestion is unworkable.
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
No mention of the impact of wolves on pet dogs or other livestock, usual assumption that red deer numbers in Scotland are out of control when they are very well managed on the whole via deer management groups, omissions of the fact that should predators be released in Scotland they would not impact on the Southern or lowland populations where the co-existence issues come to the fore.
Landowners in Scotland should remember the stick they are behind beaten with is a political one, and not one of those seeking to beat them with it have the slightest idea as to how run the countryside economy for the sustainable benefit of its inhabitants. Not once do you hear of the benefits of their proposals, how a sustainable
living will be had by overseeing an overgrown landscape full of ticks but little else; where is the vision for the people who live and work here?
Landowners in Scotland should remember the stick they are behind beaten with is a political one, and not one of those seeking to beat them with it have the slightest idea as to how run the countryside economy for the sustainable benefit of its inhabitants. Not once do you hear of the benefits of their proposals, how a sustainable
living will be had by overseeing an overgrown landscape full of ticks but little else; where is the vision for the people who live and work here?
Just read it. It's missing a nuanced argument about shooting and selling the meat - there are many willing to go a shoot deer (for sport, conservation etc) but many find a barrier to entry being the cost of scheme like stalking syndicates, or the protective nature of groups who have permissions and who aren't willing to allow new shooters. Too many landowners are insisting on money to get deer shot but the resulting 'value' of a deer carcass (once one factors equipment, fuel, ammo, travel time, prep time etc) makes it non viable.
Second, the difference in cost once it hits a dinner plate, butcher's shop or restaurant makes non sense to me whatsoever. If it's so abundant, widely available, comes in all sorts and shapes and sizes, why or how is it still so blooming expensive?! I'm not debating the population numbers, but I am struggling to understand why it costs so much. It's not like a bull that can cost several thousand from an abbatoir - I know folk offered £20 for a roe buck.
Still... It's nice to see the problem being aired with some important facts and info for the luvvies to complain about
Second, the difference in cost once it hits a dinner plate, butcher's shop or restaurant makes non sense to me whatsoever. If it's so abundant, widely available, comes in all sorts and shapes and sizes, why or how is it still so blooming expensive?! I'm not debating the population numbers, but I am struggling to understand why it costs so much. It's not like a bull that can cost several thousand from an abbatoir - I know folk offered £20 for a roe buck.
Still... It's nice to see the problem being aired with some important facts and info for the luvvies to complain about
It wouldn't be a balanced article if it didn’t also include those kind of suggestions that have been put forward from time to time, even if they are crackers.
It's not "blooming expensive" at point of sale.
You just try getting it to that point and you’ll quickly learn how much cost is involved in processing and retailing. All cost that need to be recouped in the price the customer pays.
My top priced cut is loin butterfly medallions at £42.50 per kg, and no customer has ever said they were too expensive. In fact, they're generally not even interested in the price. If it's what they want then they buy it regardless.
£42.50/kilo is expensive to me and would be to the general population which is the point I'm trying to make (clearly not very well).
Buying venison shouldn't be reserved for the group of people who buy regardless of cost or not interested in the price.
I do know of few folk who give it away for free to those who don't have sufficient income, but this isn't a mass market idea either.
Where's the balance? Where is it being sold along side beef, pork, chicken, in the super markets? If not why not?
The issue is for many stalkers is that there is no local outlet to take deer. If I had a local game dealer I would be inclined to cull a lot more.
The other issues are there are many small parcels of ground that are off limits as the owners will not permit any form of shooting . In many cases totally unaware of the substantial deer population they harbour.
That aside at last a semi decent article from the BBC.
D
The other issues are there are many small parcels of ground that are off limits as the owners will not permit any form of shooting . In many cases totally unaware of the substantial deer population they harbour.
That aside at last a semi decent article from the BBC.
D
I live in an economically deprived area, and most of my customers are local people.
My last customer on Christmas eve was a gardener. He drives around in a little van, cutting people's lawns and clipping hedges. Hardly what you'd call a high earner. Yet he had over £200 worth of venison from me, no questions asked, and has bought similar quantities from me in the past.
The price per kg isn’t important to people. What is important to them is the price per portion. And that's where properly butchered and presented venison scores: It's nutrient dense, and there's no waste on the plate (bone or gristle) at the end of the meal. My customers know this, and keep coming back for more.
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