Government-backed deer industry deal deemed a success, despite failing to meet targets

Photo / RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

RNZ

A seven-year programme aimed at lifting profits for deer farmers has been deemed a success despite not meeting all of its targets.

Launched in 2015, the $16 million Passion2Profit programme was funded 50-50 by The Ministry for Primary Industries and Deer Industry NZ.

Independent programme chair Bruce Wills said Passion2Profit resulted in the development of major new markets for venison and greater productivity on deer farms.

"Venison marketers have done what is a fabulous job pivoting to retail, with prices well on the way to recovering from a Covid-induced slump.

"China is now the industry's fourth biggest venison market, up from near zero exports at the start of the P2P programme," Wills said.

"At retail in the United States, venison sales are growing faster than any other protein item - again up from near-zero seven years ago."

Despite the success of the programme, it did not achieve the aspirational targets set seven years ago, he said.

One of the objectives was to increase the amount of NZ venison sold in chilled form, year-round.

But the amount of chilled venison sold declined from 2500 tonnes to 1400 tonnes annually from 2015 to 2021.

The programme also wanted to increase venison export revenue by 40 per cent but this actually dropped from $181 million in 2015 to $155 million in 2021.

No one foresaw the entire global food service sector's shutdown in 2020 as a result of Covid-19, Wills said.

"Venison, as a niche product targeting high-end restaurants, was impacted particularly hard and prices almost halved.

"But P2P has seen the five venison marketing companies working together for the good of New Zealand deer farmers.

"Without P2P we would not have had the Advance Party (AP) programme, a wonderful farmer network, which has helped deer farmers with the dissemination of new ideas and information."

On-farm, productivity improvement has been reflected in a four per cent increase in national fawn survival rates, and a 4 kg lift in average carcass weights from 55 kg to 59 kg, he said.

Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) chief executive Innes Moffat said a raft of resources were developed for deer farmers under P2P as well as methods to ensure the adoption of new management techniques and technology.

"Resources include the Deer Hub online, the Deer Fact sheet series, tools to monitor growth and reproduction and the setting of key performance indicators.

"Farmers engaged with productivity improvement initiatives in the early part of the programme then, as the programme's focus shifted, into improving environmental management," he said.

"For me, the enthusiastic engagement from our deer farmers in P2P programmes has been the highlight.

"We are taking the enthusiasm that has been with us since day one of the programme, through into our future work."

The objective was now to continue assisting farmers in producing profitable premium products for consumers around the world, he said.

- RNZ