Our Organic Deer

Our Red deer, the largest of the native species, live in large family groups and are reared and slaughtered on the farm in familiar surroundings, so there is little stress no transport and minimal food miles. Although definitely not wild our deer are managed so their behaviour can reflect that of their wild cousins as well as being managed to Soil Association organic standards.

Our animals
We have just over 150 deer in our breeding herd, mainly hinds (female Red deer), running in three family groups. Deer are seasonal breeders with distinct mating and breeding seasons. For most of the year the breeding stags (males) live in male dominated groups; in the summer we run our breeding stags with the year-old stock so they can teach them the way around and keeping the young stock under control. The rut or mating seasonis in the autumn, this is when an individual stag is selected and introduced to the hinds .

Each year we rear about 125 calves, the calves are born from the middle of May to the middle of July and stay with their mothers until the autumn when the availability of grazing reduces, a natural weaning point. We rarely need to assist at calving, deer are good mothers so there’s a strong maternal bond. Some of the calves from each season are selected as replacements for the breeding herd.

Winter rations for our breeding stock is conserved forage, hay or silage from our organic pastures. Depending on our silage analysis we sometimes need to supplement the forage ration for the young stock with organically produced protein or energy feedstuffs. Deer demonstrate a winter period of inappetance when they reduce their daily feed intake, but it's important for their welfare that the rations we provide meet their dietary needs - a delicate balance.

Social and secure
We have a closed herd, which means the breeding herd is self-contained with no introductions of new animals except selected offspring born and reared on the farm. This is beneficial for the animals as the social hierarchy is stable and biosecurity risks are reduced. As the land used for the deer is within a ring fence and we no longer need to transport the animals to an abattoir, we have no need to use vehicles to move animals. Better for them, and, we believe, for meat quality too.

On the rare occasion that one of our deer gets split up from its group or even off the farm, they soon come back and are very insistent until they get back to their mates or calf. In a similar way that sheep are hefted to a block of land, deer are very territorial.

Nothing new about deer farming
Man has managed deer as a food source for thousands of years; not only building collection corrals but also selectively slaughtering and provided supplemental feed for deer.

Throughout the centuries the management of deer herds has been important, leaving a legacy of features, now intrinsic to our landscape. The number of deer parks has always varied, depending on fashions and other competing land uses. Deer farming, seen as a ‘new’ agricultural enterprise of the 1980’s is simply another variation of this type of deer management. Today we are in a period of slow growth of what might be best described as parks and declining number of farms, although there is no clear differentiation between the two or legal definition.

We bought our first deer in 1987at the same deer farming in New Zealand was in its infancy. Today New Zealand leads the world of deer farming, with much of the venison in UK supermarkets imported despite our relatively low consumption figures and the UK climate being ideal for deer production. Deer farms have been established throughout the UK, and Europe, maybe not in large numbers relative to sheep and cattle, with many businesses developing venison sales alongside their farming ventures.

Our venison
Our meat is prepared to the same exacting standards as more conventionally farmed meats. We use our small purpose-built slaughterhouse and cutting plant, built and operated under exactly the same EU regulations. As a result, our venison is consistent and tender with a distinctive, subtle flavour, not the strong, ‘gamey’ taste and smell often associated with venison handled as game meat or from wild deer. A healthy lean meat and easily digested, venison is low in cholesterol, with little if any fat, the meat is also high in protein and iron.