SGA DEER MANAGERS INTRODUCE LOCAL CONSUMERS TO VENISON

SGA members in South Lanarkshire introduced newcomers to locally sourced venison last week, highlighting the possibilities for potential new markets with targeted central support.

Trained urban deer managers provided venison burgers and square sausage, under Scottish Quality Wild Venison assurance, to adults and kids at the Langlands Moss nature reserve in East Kilbride.

Kids from local scout groups and parents were led on walks through the woods to learn about bats and moths at the event hosted by Friends of Langlands Moss.

There they enjoyed the healthy venison laid on free of charge by the local deer managers, with many further inquiries as to where they could buy it themselves.

With Scottish Government promising to invest in local larder facilities to enable more venison to reach previously untapped domestic markets such as consumers in the central belt, the East Kilbride event highlighted the benefits targeted investment could have in growing demand for a quality product which is sustainable, lean and highly nutritious. 

Local deer manager and member of the SGA Deer Group, David Quarrell said: “If a pilot project was started in this area, with a proper chill facility, there is real potential to get venison in front of more people. It is in sustainable supply, it is healthy and realising this resource means locally sourced food, a very low carbon footprint and potential for future growth. It also means that deer are being properly managed around towns and cities and helping to meet Scottish Government objectives in managing green spaces, cutting down on poaching, and preventing deer vehicle collisions.”

Read More»

TOUGHER RODENTICIDE RULES FOR GAMEKEEPERS FOR PERMANENT BAITING

Tougher restrictions on permanent rodenticide baiting by gamekeepers, farmers and pest controllers, with legal backing, have been introduced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the UK rodenticide regulatory body. A detailed booklet, CRRU Guidance: Permanent Baiting, is available from thinkwildlife.org/download/.

The practice is only approved where high potential for reinvasion is identified and when all alternatives have been considered. It is prohibited as a 'just-in-case' preventive measure when no signs of rats, nor high reinvasion threat, is present.

The new restrictions address a high risk of wildlife contamination through small mammals such as field mice and voles entering bait stations, eating rodenticide then falling prey to a wide range of predatory birds and mammals. The same applies to some small birds, which possibly explains why anticoagulant residues are found in sparrowhawks and peregrines, which feed almost entirely on birds taken in flight.

One of the main objectives of the UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime is to reduce residues in all UK wildlife. Restricting the use of permanent baiting will significantly contribute towards achieving this, according to Dr Alan Buckle, chairman of the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use, the body responsible to UK government for the stewardship regime.

Where permanent baiting is justified, some baits containing bromadiolone or difenacoum are allowed, but not all. Those containing the other three second generation anticoagulants are prohibited.

Rodenticide users need to check product labels carefully before use. There are new statements for prohibited as well as allowed permanent baiting rodenticides. For the latter, the key label phrase is “Permanent baiting is strictly limited to sites with high potential for reinvasion when other methods of control have proven insufficient.”

Dr Buckle adds, "In all situations, permanent baiting must never be a routine practice. But as a monitoring device, non-toxic placebo baits should be used more often.

"To counteract rats' acute fear of new things, there is good reason for having tamper-proof bait stations in permanent outdoor locations, but with placebo rather than rodenticide present.

"Inspecting placebo-baited stations regularly can give early warning of a new infestation. Clearly, when this happens, a temporary switch to rodenticide baits can be made until the infestation is cleared. Normally this should take no more than 35 days, followed by resumption with placebo."

Read More»

Travelling with a European Firearms Pass if there’s no Brexit deal

Travelling with a European Firearms Pass if there’s no Brexit deal

As it stands you require a European Firearms Pass (EFP) if traveling between EU countries with your firearms and shotguns. EFPs are issued by the EU country in which a firearm owner is resident. You do not need an EFP if you are travelling within the UK and you hold a valid UK firearms certificate.

After March 2019 if there is no deal

Should the UK leave the EU with no deal, EFPs would no longer be available to UK residents wishing to travel with their firearms to EU countries. You would need to comply with whatever licensing or other requirements each EU country decides to impose, as well as UK import and export licensing requirements (see link below for information about export controls but, in summary, export licences would be required for exports of firearms to EU countries, although there would be an exemption for firearms travelling as personal effects).

EFPs would no longer be recognised for EU visitors to the UK. Their sponsors would, as now, have to apply for a Visitor’s Permit but it would no longer be a legal requirement to also produce a valid EFP.

What you need to do

UK residents wishing to travel to EU countries with their firearm or shotgun after 29 March 2019 should contact the authorities of the countries concerned for information about their licensing requirements. This advice would also apply to UK residents who are due to be in an EU country with their firearm at the point when the UK leaves the EU.

If you are sponsoring an EU visitor to the UK, you should continue to apply to the local police force for a Visitor’s Permit. Permits issued before the UK leaves the EU will remain valid until they expire.

Additional Information can be found https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/travelling-with-a-european-firearms-pass-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/travelling-with-a-european-firearms-pass-if-theres-no-brexit-deal

Read More»

SGA WELCOMES GOVERMENT COMMITMENT TO GROW VENISON MARKET

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association has welcomed the Scottish Government's commitment to growing the venison industry in Scotland and beyond, saying it is time for the nation to make the best use of a prized but under-utilised asset.
SGA Chairman Alex Hogg has been a key member of the steering group helping to drive forward the government's strategic 9-point plan aimed at major sector growth in wild and farmed deer by 2030.
Food and drink is now one of the key pillars of the nation's economy but the SGA has felt, for some considerable time, that the undoubted potential of venison and game has not yet been realised.
The announcement of governmental support has therefore been hugely welcomed by the SGA, whose members include many hundreds of trained men and women responsible for managing deer in Scotland; an industry sustaining 2520 full-time jobs.
"Venison is a tremendous product. It is healthy, lean and sustainable and, for some time, we have been asking for more support to see it reach some of its huge potential," said SGA Chairman Alex Hogg.
"It has been a long-held aspiration of the SGA that venison and game should become a regular part of our diet but there have been barriers and not enough awareness.
"We'd like to thank Fergus Ewing for his energy in driving this forward, for recognising the potential that exists and engaging the sector on what can be done. SGA members have the qualifications and meat hygiene training to push forward activity on the ground. With the right level of government support, we are sure we can get venison into local markets; with the potential for people to see deer in a very different light.
"When we first spoke to Fergus Ewing about the potential in the market, he pulled out the stops to pull together all the relevant parties. We are particularly pleased to see recognition at government level that investment in local larder facilities can potentially create employment, ensure the venison resource is used locally and will also help government meet its deer management targets. This is a win-win situation the SGA has advocated for some time and we look forward to helping carry the plans forward."

The key elements of the 9 point plan include: (see full plan at the foot of the official press release).

• Establish an industry hub for market research and information
• Identify new markets and build supply chains
• Drive forward quality assurance
• Develop skills and training
• New Entrant and Expansion Fund for deer farming plus the launch of a monitor farm programme
• Invest in area-based facilities
• Marketing and education in schools
• Build on Research and Development to improve productivity
• Develop new recipes and products

Please see the full Scottish Government press release, below.

Strategic vision outlines sector growth to 2030.

The first ever strategy for Scotland's wild and farmed venison sector has been launched, with the aim of bringing together the wild and farmed deer interests for the first time, and setting out nine "key area" for growth across the sector.   

Those key areas include skills-building initiatives, a fund to support new entrants to venison farming and the need for further research and development.

Speaking from Downfield Farm venison processing plant in Cupar, Fife, Minister for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon said:

"I am delighted to help to launch this strategy for this exciting, burgeoning sector in Scotland's food and drink success story.

"Venison is a premium food, renowned for its quality, provenance and health credentials, and its reputation continues to rise in both domestic and international markets.  We know the venison market in the UK alone is estimated to be worth around £100 million per year and demand has been increasing year on year. With this strategy in place, the sector in a Scotland now has a fantastic opportunity to meet rising demand, displace imports and target new market opportunities.     

"I welcome that the industry has come together to develop a plan that will build on the strong foundations put in place by the venison pioneers in Scotland. Deer farming and management play a significant role in supporting a thriving and sustainable rural economy and this strategy will support our shared wider ambitions to grow it.  

"And it's very fitting to launch the new strategy on Scottish Venison Day and during Food and Drink fortnight, the annual celebration and promotion of Scotland's food and drink sector. The Scottish Government looks forward to working with the sector to take forward the actions contained with the strategy."

Bill Bewsher, Chairman, The Scottish Venison Partnership, said:

"Venison producers and processors in Scotland, both wild and farmed, will take very significant encouragement from this new strategy. 

"We are exceptionally fortunate that on the one hand we have a rich asset in our wild deer as a sustainable source of healthy food and, on the other, increasing enthusiasm and undoubted potential to grow our farmed venison sector to meet expanding markets both in the UK and elsewhere. This strategy points all of us in the right direction with a set of common goals for 2030 and we are grateful for the additional support forthcoming from government in helping us to meet them.”

Download the full strategy from this link. https://news.gov.scot/resources/venison-strategy-final

Read More»