The venison industry has invested in building a premium retail presence in North America through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) – North America Retail Accelerator (NARA) programme.

The 2025 Meat Innovation Workshop was held 11-12 March in Palmerston North, jointly hosted by AgResearch and the Meat Industry Association, in collaboration with Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ).

Back in November of last year, a delegation from Hanpure, South Korea’s largest importer of New Zealand velvet, visited New Zealand.

A recently released research paper on the benefits of incorporating genomic information into Deer Select finds that doing so improves prediction accuracy by at least 15 percent in three key industry traits, allowing better ranking of animals across birth years.

For decades, New Zealand venison has been a well-regarded export, primarily bound for Europe during the game season. But times are changing. American consumers are increasingly looking for leaner, healthier, and more sustainable protein options, creating a new opportunity for venison.

Finding the sweet spot | Meet and Greet: Glen Whyte | Industry News: Modest Malcolm honoured, Changing of the guard, Wild deer out of control, Going for gold, Pāmu confidence in deer industry, More inside knowledge | Venison: Game plan pays off, Q2 in the books for NARA project | NZDFA: The rap from the regions, Weaning recap-plus at Canterbury field day | On Farm: Rolling in the Wild West, Rangitikei family affair ticks the box | Animal Health: Weaning strategies for better hind and fawn performance | Science 4 Success: Deer Select 2 - new and improved, “Deer-livering” us from the evils of ageing? | Recipe: Grilled venison flat iron steak with summer salsa