VENISON'S BACK ON THE MENU 

FOR CENTURIES VENISON WAS A DINING STAPLE IN MANY HOMES. THIS WHOLESOME AND TASTY MEAT HAS BEEN GRADUALLY DISAPPEARING FROM MOST NORTH AMERICAN TABLES DURING THE PAST CENTURY, IT IS NOW COMING BACK. AND IT MAY PROVIDE THE EXTRA INCOME NEEDED TO PREVENT SOME FARMERS FROM GOING BANKRUPT.

ONCE RESERVED FOR THE PALATES OF KINGS AND EMPERORS, DEER, ELK, MOOSE, REINDEER AND CARIBOU HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS MORE THAN JUST MEAT. ITS LOW FAT CONTENT OF SIX TO NINE PERCENT, AS COMPARED TO 18 TO 22 PERCENT IN BEEF AND 22 TO 25 PERCENT IN MUTTON, PLUS ITS LOW CHOLESTEROL COUNT MAKES IT A NATURAL SELLER IN TODAY'S HEALTH- CONSCIOUS, UPSCALE MARKETPLACE.

IN NEW ZEALAND AN AMAZING 3,000 OR 10 PERCENT OF ALL FARMERS NOW FARM DEER. LAST YEAR THE KIWIS SUPPLIED ALMOST 400 TONS - WORTH $3 MILLION - TO THE UNITED STATES ALONE. THE MARKET CURRENTLY SEEMS INSATIABLE. GERMANY NORMALLY BUYS MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE ENTIRE NEW ZEALAND PRODUCTION! WITH ALL THAT VENISON COMING FROM A COUNTRY ONE-THIRD THE SIZE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, WITH SIMILAR TERRAIN AND A MINIMALLY LARGER POPULATION, IT'S EASY TO RECOGNIZE THE POTENTIAL NEW ZEALAND HAS. BETWEEN 1982 AND 1987 THEY INCREASED THEIR DEER HERDS FROM 151,000 ANIMALS TO 510,000. THEY ALSO INCREASED THEIR STOCK OF MOHAIR AND CASHMERE PRODUCING GOATS FROM 93,000 TO 985,000 DURING THE SAME PERIOD.

ROD CLARKE, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE NEWLY-CREATED B.C. DEER FARMERS ASSOCIATION, SAYS THAT CURRENTLY ONLY ABOUT ONE CONTAINER LOAD OF NEW ZEALAND VENISON ARRIVES EACH WEEK IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.

UNTIL LAST MAY, RAISING DEER IN WESTERN CANADA WAS ILLEGAL. NOW AS FAR EAST AS ONTARIO AND IN BOTH THE YUKON AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, IT IS RECOGNIZED AS A LEGITIMATE USE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND, FARM LABOR AND CAPITAL.

AS AN INVESTMENT, ACCORDING TO RANCHER CLARKE "IT IS A FAR MORE PLEASURABLE OCCUPATION THAN RAISING CATTLE." NEW ZEALAND CLAIMS MORE MEAT PRODUCTION PER ANIMAL WITH LOWER FEEDING COSTS. THEY SAY DEER PRODUCE ONE POUND OF MEAT WHILE CONSUMING ABOUT ONE-THIRD THE AMOUNT OF GRASS REQUIRED BY SHEEP FOR THE SAME VOLUME OF PROTEIN.

AT THE PRESENT TIME PROFIT FIGURES FOR THE FARMER HAVE TO BE BASED ON THE NEW ZEALAND EXPERIENCE -- NOW HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED IN RAISING AND MARKETING VENISON. THE KIWIS SAY THAT DEER BRING A 22 PERCENT RETURN ON INVESTMENT WHEN SOLD FOR BREEDING, 26 PERCENT WHEN SOLD AS VENISON AND MORE THAN 21 PERCENT WHEN SOLD AS "VELVET".

VELVET HASN'T REALLY CAUGHT ON YET IN NORTH AMERICA. BUT IN THE FAR EAST (IT REALLY SHOULD BE CALLED THE NEAR WEST), IT IS THE APHRODISIAC OF CHOICE AMONG MANY ORIENTALS. THE VELVET ON THE ANTLERS OF ONE MALE DEER BRINGS UP TO $800 ANNUALLY, AND THE LIVE CAPITAL INVESTMENT REMAINS FOR MANY MORE PRODUCTIVE AND PROFITABLE YEARS. LAST YEAR NEW ZEALAND PRODUCED 70 TONS OF VELVET THAT SOLD FOR AN ESTIMATED NZ $10 MILLION ($120 PER KILOGRAM).

DEER HAVE SEVERAL OTHER GOOD QUALITIES COMPARED TO MORE COMMON DOMESTIC ANIMALS. THEY ARE EASIER TO KEEP, HAVE A BREEDING LIFE ALMOST DOUBLE THAT OF CATTLE AND, OUTSIDE OF REQUIRING SEVEN-FOOT FENCING, DEMAND FAR LESS LABOR FROM THE FARMER/OWNER.

THE NORTH AMERICAN DEER KING IS JOSEF VON KERCKERINCK OF LUCKY STAR RANCH IN CHAUMONT, NEW YORK. TEN YEARS AGO HE STARTED WITH 50 HEAD. TODAY HIS HERD OF 1,400 MAKES HIM THE LARGEST NORTH AMERICAN VENISON SUPPLIER. HIS PRODUCTS GRACE MANY OF AMERICA'S TOP QUALITY RESTAURANTS. CONSISTENT FLAVOUR AND QUALITY APPEAR TO BE AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OVER WILD VENISON, ACCORDING TO REGULAR CONSUMERS.

A CURRENT RESTRICTION ON DEER FARMING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA IS THAT DEER CANNOT BE FARMED UNLESS THEY ARE A NON-NATIVE SPECIES. THIS REGULATION PREVENTS, INTER-BREEDING WITH NATIVE SPECIES. SOME SEE THIS AS AN UNNECESSARY RESTRICTION, AS PROPONENTS LIKE RANCHER CLARKE CLAIM OUR WILD DEER DO NOT INTERBREED. INITIAL STOCK FOR MOST BRITISH COLUMBIA FARMS WILL COME FROM A WILD HERD OF FALLOW DEER -- THAT GREW FROM A FEW IMPORTS INTRODUCED IN 1890 AND WHICH HAVE EXPANDED INTO A HERD OF OVER 1,000 ON SIDNEY ISLAND OFF VANCOUVER ISLAND -- AND FROM BREEDERS IN NEW ZEALAND, OREGON, ALBERTA AND ONTARIO. CURRENT COSTS FOR FEMALE "HINDS" RUN C$ 600-1200. ACCORDING TO ROD CLARKE. QUALITY STAGS FOR BREEDING PURPOSES CAN TOP THAT HIGHEST FIGURE.

GET READY TO ENJOY A NEW TREAT, VENISON FIT FOR A KING. MORE INFORMATION: ROD OR SUSAN CLARKE, PARTNERS DAMA DEER FARM, R.R. #1, CHEMAINUS, B.C. V0R 1K0.

TEL 604/ 246-4848, OR PAUL VOIGT, NEW ZEALAND CONSULATE, #1260, 701 WEST GEORGIA STREET, VANCOUVER, BC V7Y 1B6.

TEL 604/ 684-7388.

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