Venison marketers and Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) are focussing most of their market development efforts on the United States in 2021. Pre-Covid, the United States was our largest year-round market for chilled venison. Now marketers are aiming to repeat this success at retail.

Good progress is being made with the roll-out of VelTrak™, the new electronic track and trace system that is being introduced in readiness for the 2021/22 velvet season. Registration for vets and buyers opens on 6 April and for farmers on 3 May.

• Central Hawke's Bay deer farmers Evan and Linda Potter win the National Ballance Farm Environment Award (BFEA)
• DINZ submitting on Climate Change Report on behalf of deer sector
• Velvet boots on the ground in China
• Winter grazing is still hot
• Stroppy stags, naïve visitors
• Registrations Open for Deer Industry Conference
• Technical workshop to follow industry conference
• Environment awards to showcase the deer industry
• Vets keen to learn about VelTrak™

Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) is expecting improved market conditions for venison in the coming year, with better prices assured for venison animals processed for supply in the European game season. 

“In the next few weeks some venison companies will be offering minimum price supply contracts for the game season, for shipment of chilled venison during September and October,” Deer Industry NZ chair Ian Walker says.

DINZ chief executive Innes Moffat says the deer farming industry welcomes many aspects of the Climate Change Commission’s interim report. But it will be a challenge for deer farmers with extensive farming systems to achieve its emission reduction targets without some novel intervention.

Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) has approved a grant of $225,000 to a $450,000 venison market development project in China. Five applications were received from four companies for the one-off contestable grant for a project that would support the development of a new market. 

Three companies marketing deer velvet in Asia – CK Import Export, PGG Wrightson and Provelco – have formed a coalition to develop a market in China for NZ velvet as a health food ingredient. In all other respects they will continue to compete vigorously with each other for sales and farmer supply.

• ​Total venison exports up in 2020
• Velvet season behaved as expected
• Hawke’s Bay environmental awards field day next week
• New channel development continues
• Buyers now ordering VelTrak scanners
• VelTrak gets a colourful endorsement
• Industry conference in Invercargill in May 2021
• Help us showcase the deer industry
• Amy Watts, new DINZ board observer
• Science and policy manager wanted

February / March 2021 Issue 106
- Setting the scene for 2021 season
 Velvet Coalition - partners join forces to seek opportunities in China health food market
- Industry Conference - return to the deep south for May 2021 Conference: 2020s Vision - The Focus is You
- Sire Sales - Subdued prices reflect impacts of COVID on markets but still some bright spots

Breeding values proving worth in commercial settings
Challenging Conditions - marketers adapting and rethinking strategies in response to global headwinds
Blocking Ticks - experts discuss beat measures for tick control as warming extends pest's range
Immune Function - well-timed research to explore potential of velvet to boost vaccine response

The 2020 velvet antler selling season is well underway, with marketers making large sales to their major customers in South Korea and China. While there has been an overall reduction in prices, demand is proving to be resilient, given the impact of Covid on many customers.