Forestry: Could feeding schoolchildren venison be answer to deer woes?

This piece is an extract from our Latest from the Woods newsletter (previously Forestry Latest News), which is emailed out at 4PM every Friday with a round-up of the week's top stories. 

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THE trouble with needing to cull more and more deer is that it invariably leads to one thing - the problem of just what to do with a mounting number of carcasses. But perhaps a pilot scheme in Scotland could provide the perfect solution. 

While up to 100,000 deer are culled north of the border each year, many a forester will tell you about the lack of supply chain to get the healthy meat to the table. Step forward Linzi Seivwright, an ecologist, who has started an initiative to get venison into school dining rooms.

“We’re certainly not short of venison,” she told the Times. “We are just trying to get everybody eating such a healthy product. If we could find a way of getting it into schools, just on their school menus, for example, that would be incredible.”

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She  is working with Glen Urquhart High School, on the banks of Loch Ness, introducing youngsters to the meat and teaching them how deer are managed.

She admits there is a “Bambi effect” that needs to be addressed and that some people don’t want to try venison. The meat is also often associated with the wealthy or landed aristocracy.

While seasonal, venison is accessible. “I think it’s probably been cast in the past as a sort of a luxury product. We’re not used to seeing it mainstream,” said Seivwright. However, she added: “You can find it in the supermarkets, though it is often tucked away in a corner.” Some butchers also stock it.

The scheme could also help with addressing fallow deer in England (Image: Sue Barnett)

The Scottish Venison Association (SVA) is keen to sell more of the meat directly to the state for schools and hospitals. In a strategy document published last year, it suggested working with wholesalers to “open the door to public-sector procurement opportunities”. It also aims to boost sales in London and southeast England.

A solution that's good for foresters, schoolchildren, and local businesses? It sounds almost too good to be true (almost).