New Fallow Doe Cull Provides 170,000 High-Protein Meals

Ashdown Forest — the historic landscape that inspired A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh — has become the site of an innovative fallow deer management project that’s making headlines across conservation and community sectors.

Between November 2024 and March 2025, a targeted fallow doe cull led by The Country Food Trust resulted in the removal of 884 deer — quadrupling the usual annual cull for the area. The objective: to address overpopulation, which is damaging biodiversity, degrading woodland habitats, and increasing the number of deer-related vehicle collisions.

The harvested venison didn’t go to waste. It was transformed into over 170,000 protein-rich meals, distributed through UK food banks and community kitchens, directly supporting vulnerable households.

“This is the equivalent of saving 40,000 deer from living on the land over the next decade,” said SJ Thomas, CEO of the Country Food Trust.

Unusually, stalkers were paid per kilogram of meat, a key incentive that significantly boosted participation and the programme’s overall success. The initiative’s model has drawn interest from other regions, including the North Wessex Downs, and a continuation has already been confirmed for the next fallow doe season in Sussex.

This project is now being hailed as a sustainable model for deer management that balances ecological stewardship with community benefit.