THIRTY years ago Scottish experts went to New Zealand and helped start the country's deer farming industry, exporting the Scottish enthusiasm for this diversification from traditional livestock production.
Now the farmed deer industry in New Zealand includes more than 1.5 million breeding hinds and is more profitable than the country's traditional lamb and dairy production.
In contrast, here in Scotland the initial enthusiasm for deer farming has
gone and there is now only a maximum of 2,000 head of breeding stock on 28 farms throughout the country, with real worries the level of production may fall further.
Yesterday, one of the pioneers in the sector, John Fletcher from Auchtermuchty, blamed past subsidy regimes for allowing the industry to regress so far.
He said he still believed there was no reason why the Scottish farmed deer sector could not grow as that in New Zealand has done, however, to achieve that goal there would need to be a change in the subsidy system.
Initially, the problem was that cattle and sheep received a headage subsidy while deer did not. But when the Single Farm Payment removed the headage element and instead paid a lump sum to farmers there was still no cash for the few deer farmers.
Fletcher received a total of £250 a year in subsidy payments because his 35-hectare farm is in a Less Favoured Area – while the average single farm payment (SFP) in the Auchtermuchty parish is £282 per hectare.
"We were encouraged to diversify and now we have been hung out to dry," he told Richard Lochhead during the rural affairs minister's tour of Fletcher's farm yesterday.
Lochhead could give no encouragement in the short term but promised that the current review of the SFP, under the leadership of Brian Pack, would look into the situation.
Another specialist deer farmer outside the support system, Jamie Fletcher of Thornhill, Stirling (no relation) described his mood as "very angry at the injustice of the current position". He estimated it would take less than £100,000 to give and equality to all Scottish deer farmers.
John Fletcher said the problem was not being excluded from the subsidy regime but that the scheme was tilting the economics against the sector.
John and his wife, Nicola, have been strong supporters of farmers' markets, where they try and maximise their income by selling direct to customers.
They have also become a major player in exporting Scottish deer – he currently has a major order from Bulgaria and has just completed a long-term contract to supply a Polish land owner with 1,000 hinds.
For the Fletchers, what makes the situation more galling is that the public accepts the benefits of eating venison – a recent piece of research showed very positive results with omega oil ratios compared with other red meat.
Only last week, the Scottish Government produced its food policy which highlighted the need for healthy food production and reduced food miles. The Fletchers believe increased venison production would help achieve both these targets.
