Deer Industry in Ireland

Deer farming in Ireland started circa 1986. There is approximately 230 farmers producing deer at present. One of the strengths of deer farming in Ireland is that it is operating at world market prices at present and sustainability is not dependent on EU protectionist policy. However, unlike beef or lamb there can be competition from wild shot venison, which can depress the price of farm venison during the game season, that is September to February. Food Safety laws are to some extinct removing wild shot venison as a large scale threat to farm venison. There is competition to Irish farm venison in Europe from imported farm venison from New Zealand.
The availability of farmed venison on an all year round basis makes it suitable for retail outlets like supermarkets. Generally due to a lower volume of throughput venison is mostly sold through supermarkets as opposed to butcher shops. . It can also be purchased at a number of Farmer’s Markets.
The high iron content of venison makes it a very important source of iron for women and children
The majority of venison produced in Ireland is exported out of the country, at present, most of the red deer venison goes to the UK, and all of the fallow venison goes to Denmark.It is worth noting that both those countries are outside the Euro zone, which is an important factor in the prices that are available for venison.