The domestication and farming of deer is our idea. New Zealanders invented it. Of course the introduction of deer to New Zealand in the 1800's may have been someone else's idea, but the concept was to provide something substantial to shoot at, not finishing for export or selling to the Koreans for medicinal purposes.
Like many introduced animals free from natural predators in an ideal ecological environment, the feral populations grew uncontrollably to pest proportions. The New Zealand deer industry began in the 1960's with small exports of venison from feral herds. 1970 saw the first deer farming license issued and established breeding herds began providing a continual supply of high quality venison. By the mid 1970's deer exports had expanded to include velvet. Reflecting the imported feral population, around 80% of the current domestic deer herd is red deer with the balance being predominantly elk (a.k.a. wapiti) and hybridisation between them is common for commercial venison production.
A pioneer of the industry and one of the original thirty breeders involved from the beginning is local identity Warwick Gregory. Starting out in 1968 in Mid Canterbury with six hinds, five stags and one hind fawn, his Rakaia red deer captured in 1973 were the basis of the Springlands Deer herd. Warwick and June moved to Nelson in 1981 and have run an average of 400 deer on their 38 hectare property in the Redwood Valley. Nearly 22 years later he is retiring from the industry to which he has dedicated much of his life.
Livestock breeding has always been important to Warwick. He originally rose to prominence as a breeder of top quality Romneys and he won the 'Blue Ribbon' Ram hogget class at the Royal Show, before turning his attention to intensifying the outstanding velveting qualities of his deer strain. In the early 1990's his bred stock won the National Open Velvet competition and secured numerous placings.
From the very beginning, and to simplify recording stock on computers, he explained how he numbered the animals sequentially, "I started off with number 1 and just carried it on through, if you want number 56, you just key in 56, if you want 1756, you key in 1756."
Warwick summed up a good stag as one with a reasonably long body, a good long neck, good bright eye and an animal you can put your hand on. "Something you don't need a sheet of plywood to fend yourself off with - good easy movement around the paddock, animals that won't bail you up, things like that. The Rakaia strain are just naturally quiet and it's not until you have other deer that you realise just how quiet they are."
Velvet antler structure has also been a feature of his stock improvements. "Inside the antler itself it doesn't appear to calcify at all. You have to keep working on it - you dare not give it away. I've worked with a processor that analysed the antlers after processing and that has been a great help to me."
Warwick credits much to the understanding of line breeding, and success down to good stockmanship. "Some fellas are good at breeding sheep, cattle and horses, and deer are much the same. You just have to tinker about a bit in some situations. Some people believe it's just buy a stag from 'Joe' and a few hinds from 'Bill' and your in business - it doesn't work that way," he advised.
"I've had a lot of highlights, odd stags I've bred, good ones. I was lucky with my original stag, number 1. In 1979 stag 80 appeared, but he died as a four year old. I lost another outstanding spiker in number 193, he was out of old 32. Then a few years later 1756 appeared in 1996, and he was unbelievable. The latest is 2046, I got first in the 4 year old velvet competition in the North Island, and second at the National in Invercargill, December 2002."
A relatively young industry, it has expanded rapidly over the last decade driven by the relative profitability compared with other land based enterprises, reportedly exceeding that of traditional sheep and beef breeding and finishing. New Zealand is the largest source of farm raised venison in the world and major importers include Germany, Switzerland, France, Australia, Sweden and Japan. The USA began importing in 1975 and consumption there grew more than 60% between 1991 and 2000. New Zealand accounts for approximately 85% of all venison served in restaurants in the US.
On October 1st 2002 the operating name of the New Zealand Game Industry Board (NZGIB) became Deer Industry New Zealand, it has a co-ordination role only and does not trade in products. It takes over the NZGIB established in 1985 by regulations under the Primary Products Marketing Act 1953 to promote and assist with the orderly development of the deer industry. Mr Gregory expressed some disappointment in recent developments.
"I'm disappointed that 22.5% of the 4,400 deer farmers have hijacked the other 77.5%. It's a worry and I wonder how many of the fellas who are supposed to be representing us are working for the genuine farmer, and they haven't got a bit of string hooked to them. The rank and file has virtually no control over those that are on the board. They think they have, but I don't think so. It's sad that it has been allowed to take place."
Warwick's Redwood Valley property has been sold, and two weeks ago all his stags were sold at auction, except a few to service the remaining hinds to be sold in July. He intends to turn his considerable knowledge and breeding experience back to helping other young farmers. "I'm helping a chap with his sheep and one of the highlight of that so far is that three lambings ago they dropped over 200% lambs. I'd like to see them dropping all twins and I don't see why we can't do it. That's what I'll be working on."
