Stalkers told to step up culls amid venison demand

BASC urges increased culls before season ends

Deer stalkers are being urged to increase culls before the end of the female season as game dealers struggle to meet soaring demand for venison from major hospitality contracts and growing public appetite for the meat.

BASC’s head of deer and woodland management Martin Edwards said many stalkers had “taken their foot off the pedal when it comes to culling” despite some of the country’s larger game dealers being unable to source sufficient carcasses.

“What we are seeing is an increased demand, rather than a reduction in supply,” Mr Edwards said, adding: “This is brilliant news for the deer management sector but we need to be able to deliver.”

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Major venues switch to venison

Hospitality supplier Levy has secured deals to replace beefburgers with venison burgers across Premier League football clubs, the Allianz stadium at Twickenham, the Kia Oval, the National Theatre and the NEC Birmingham – all now championing wild venison as a healthy, sustainable alternative to beef with a low carbon footprint.

Game dealers have responded to increased demand by raising prices, but Mr Edwards said this had not led to an immediate response from the stalking community, with many having found alternative outlets for their venison or reduced their culling efforts.

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Public appetite and conservation drive demand

The commercial opportunity comes as public interest in venison continues to grow. Conservation campaigners in Sussex are promoting locally shot venison to help control rising deer populations, with research at Plumpton College finding 97% of students who ate it said they would do so again.

Georgina Cockett, who co-ordinates the Sussex Grazed Meatbox Project, said young people and students were “exactly the people” who should be eating wild venison because it was “affordable, high protein, lean and low fat”.

A recent drone survey at nearby Ashdown Forest found approximately 15 fallow deer per square kilometre – three times higher than managers say is needed to maintain healthy woodland. Ash Walmsley, head of countryside at Ashdown Forest, said high deer numbers were having a “massive impact” on woodland ecology through intensive browsing of understory vegetation.

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Call for co-ordinated February action

Mr Edwards urged stalkers to increase numbers shot before the end of the female season, suggesting February was an ideal time to organise team culls where multiple rifles could work together.

“Very few of us are likely to overshoot our populations, so hit them hard while we have an outlet for their carcasses,” he said, recommending co-ordination with neighbouring properties to ensure there were no sanctuary areas.

Mr Edwards warned the sector risked losing the contracts if it failed to deliver, describing current demand as potentially “only a short-term victory” unless stalkers respond by stepping up their efforts.