The Deer Farm and Park Demonstration Project in 2015 will be based at a number of different locations rather than just one. Venues will be Clathic, Crieff, Perthshire, and Gledpark, Borgue, Dumfries & Galloway. There will be two days held at each location and a final day at a third location yet to be decided.
Dates for the 2015 demonstration days as follows:
- Tuesday 12 May, Clathic, by Crieff, Perthshire PH7 4JY
- Tuesday 16 June, Gledpark, Borgue, Dumfries & Galloway DG6 4SS
- Tuesday 28 July or Tuesday 4 August (tbc), Clathic
- Tuesday 15 September (tbc), Gledpark
- November (date and location tbc)
Dick Playfair, Secretary, The Scottish Venison Partnership, one of the project partners, and a Director of the Venison Advisory Service Ltd, says:
“We have selected more than one location this year as one of the objectives of this exercise is to reach as many potential businesses and individuals as possible interested in diversifying into farm or park venison production. Splitting the project across three locations will help to achieve that. Also, both Jamie Landale at Clathic and Rupert Shaw at Gledpark have excellent stories to tell, and their achievements I think will impress those interested in diversifying into deer and show some different approaches to getting started with deer.”
In 2014 the project was based entirely at Culquoich, Strathdon allowing the deer farming year to be followed at the one deer enterprise. Dick Playfair says:
“Last year the demonstration day programme was successful and very well attended and we hope to emulate that this year by using a number of locations. In addition Scotland now has a dedicated abattoir for deer operating in Fife, and new, valuable research in the recently published study by the University of Aberdeen, the James Hutton Institute, and the Scottish Venison Partnership, funded by Interface Food and Drink, Identifying barriers for entry into deer farming in Scotland.”
The full report is available to view – Farming for Venison; investigating the barriers to deer farming in Scotland (PDF, 2.23 MB).
The Deer Farm and Park Demonstration Project is a partnership initiative between Scotland Food and Drink, NFU Scotland, SFQC Ltd, and the Scottish Venison Partnership. A significant proportion of funding for the two year project has been made available through the SRDP Skills Development Scheme which is jointly funded by the Scottish Government and the European Union.
The project is being delivered by its partners and the Venison Advisory Service Ltd. More information and regular updates can be found on the Deer Farm Demonstration Project website.