Wild venison is slightly closer to being more widely available for the general population in Tasmania, after a state government trial concluded what everyone already knows – that wild deer are safe to eat if processed properly.
The trial tested the feasibility of harvesting wild fallow deer for human consumption, with the study looking into food safety elements as well as the economic and social impacts of the practice.
Primary Industries Minister Gavin Pearce said the trial confirmed deer harvested in the wild (ie, by hunters or professional cullers) can meet the human consumption food safety standards, provided the meat was properly handled.
“There are too many wild fallow deer in the state, and having the ability to use that venison commercially has the potential to play a role in getting those numbers under control,” he said.
“I look forward to hearing feedback from landholders, hunters, farmers, meat processors, commercial harvesters and the wider community on this opportunity.”
Tasmania has an active commercial deer farming industry, comprising approximately 19 deer farms operating at commercial scale (with most of their income from venison sales) and another 104 or so operating on a smaller, non-commercial scale and not deriving their primary income from venison sales.
Shooters Union Tasmania president Phillip Bigg has long been an active supporter of the idea of making hunted venison available for donation to food charities and individuals. He previously drafted a bill on the issue and submitted it to Tasmanian MPs for consideration.
He said while that he welcomed the study’s findings, it was stating the obvious.
“There’s several thousand years of human history showing wild deer are perfectly safe to eat when proper food handling processes are followed,” he said.
“I still can’t believe they wasted all that time and money conducting studies and research on this, but at least it is helping push things towards a sensible outcome.
“Fallow deer are a serious issue in Tasmania and allowing hunters to provide deer meat to others, provided they are following the proper food safety procedures, will not only encourage more people to get out and enjoy our natural environment while helping keeping deer numbers in check, but will also provide a considerable amount of food for Tasmanians who are doing it tough.”
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco said the trial confirmed what the party had been saying for years, and called for the legislation to be amended to allow hunted deer meat to be donated.
“Now is the time to amend legislation and allow the harvested meat to be donated to food charities,” he said.
“I’m having detailed conversations with the Minister and government to enable this.
“We should not be in a position where deer are wastefully culled, yet Tasmanians are doing it tough and cannot access that protein.”
The Tasmanian Government has released a discussion paper on the trial outcome, with submissions invited until 17 April.
Anyone interested in making a submission, or finding out more information, can do so here: https://nre.tas.gov.au/agriculture/game-services-tasmania/wild-shot-deer-feasibility-study
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