Deer Industry News - Deer Industry New Zealand

ISSN 1176-0753
DEER INDUSTRY NEWS
Issue 33 • December 2008 • Official magazine of Deer Industry New Zealand and the NZDFA
Season’s
Greetings
to all our
readers!
Also in this issue:
New Zealand
Velvet Marketing
Company
initiative p20
• A world in turbulent times: deer not immune
• Venison production: competitive edge confirmed
• Landcorp commitment to deer industry still strong
• Powered by velvet.org in world’s top 10
• Velvet judging criteria
• Drip loss research
• Pastoral Genomics momentun continues to build
• DEER Select sire summaries

editorial
Deer a sound investment in turbulent times
The world is in the throes of systemic
adjustments that most of us have not
witnessed in our lifetimes. Tighter credit
markets, shrinking balance sheets and
slowing economic activity will affect
the markets in which we sell and the environment in which
we grow and process our products. Your Board commits
to maintaining prudent fiscal governance of DINZ while
continuing to invest in promotion and other industry-good
activities. Despite turbulent conditions, now is not the time
to slow or stop industry development.
With a new Government come new policies which affect the
deer industry. I’d like to briefly run through my perspective
on a number of them:
Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS): DINZ welcomes a select
committee review of the ETS but is concerned that the scope
appears narrow. DINZ believes an intensity-based ETS rather
than cap-and-trade is pragmatic and less likely to reduce our
competitiveness. The pastoral sector must continue to work
collectively on this issue.
Resource Management Act (RMA): The RMA should not
be a means to tie up projects in process costs and red tape.
DINZ welcomes the Government’s commitment to introduce
a reform bill in its first 100 days of office.
Broadband: DINZ believes the Government has this wrong.
A roll-out of ultra-fast broadband to 75 percent of New
Zealand homes will include few rural homes, where the
Contents
Editorial: In turbulent times, deer farming is a sound investment .................3
DINZ news: Grand velvet photo competition ....................................................4
CWD surveillance: come on southerners – do your bit! ...........................6
NAIT show goes on ....................................................................................8
Ticking the right boxes – it matters ..........................................................9
NVSB Update ...........................................................................................10
Venison production shows healthy gross margins .................................12
General news: Landcorp would be hit hard by ETS .......................................15
Animal Health Board Update ..................................................................16
Time getting tight for Pest Management Strategy review ......................17
Johne’s information networks taking shape ...........................................18
Coming events and sire sales .................................................................18
Elk/Wapiti: Utilising mother nature for bigger gains .............................19
Industry news: New Zealand Velvet Marketing Company launched .............20
Tyrolean dried venison .............................................................................22
Venison Industry Strategic Intent ............................................................22
Powered by velvet.org.nz in world’s top 10 .............................................24
Wild Plaza ................................................................................................25
Latest Chef Ambassador to endorse Cervena® in United States .........31
Farmers’ markets in New Zealand ..........................................................32
Market Talk: BOGO F&D Ltd ....................................................................33
Market Report: Venison and velvet updates .................................................34
Stagline: NZDFA velvet and hard antler competitions review ........................38
Focus Farm and productivity group Conference 2008 ............................40
North Island Velvet Competition .............................................................41
Venison added to menu for local derby ..................................................42
Economist knocks ETS into shape ..........................................................44
Research: Collaboration points way to Johne’s-resilient bloodlines .............45
Learning how venison holds its water ....................................................46
NZDFA invited to invest in pastoral genomics programme ....................48
Scientist honoured for deer vaccine work ...............................................49
DEER Select Sire Summaries: 1 December 2008 ...................................50
need is actually greatest. Farming families are remote, but
are comfortable collaborating with each other to achieve a
better result. The internet, particularly Web 2.0, is all about
collaboration and removing distance. The $48 million for the
Broadband Challenge Fund is only 3 percent of the size of
the Government’s planned $1.5 billion investment in ultrafast
broadband. The Government does not appear to have a
specific goal for rural broadband access. One is required.
Research, Science and Technology: The Government
appears to have decided to discontinue the R&D tax credit
and the $700 million Fast Forward Fund. It will instead
invest more money in research consortia, more secure Crown
research institute (CRI) funding, have Prime Minister’s
prizes for science and create a role called Prime Minister’s
Science Adviser. DINZ supports more investment in consortia
for industry-researcher-Crown collaboration. There should
be circumstances where the Government invests more
than 50 percent where warranted. DINZ supports more
secure funding for CRIs to provide more career certainty
for scientists. However, there is a risk that CRIs will act in
isolation, or worse, on political whims. Industry involvement
is necessary to avoid wasted, ill-directed use of resources. We
do not want researchers to climb a ladder only to find it’s up
against the wrong wall.
The venison schedule is 60 percent higher than the 10-year
average for this time of year. Prices have increased faster
than for competing proteins, some of which are seeing price
softening. This is a real threat. It is more important than ever
for producers to stay connected to the market through close,
committed relationships with processor/marketers who in
turn have close, committed relationships with distributors in
touch with the final consumer. The industry needs to avoid
the trading of venison in the market and procurement-driven
rather than market-driven schedules.
Turning now to the financial performance of our industry,
there is always a lot of discussion about the most profitable
livestock farming option. At present, venison offers very
attractive returns in terms of cents per kilogram of dry matter
consumed. I am very pleased to see confidence returning
to the deer industry, and I’m sure financial institutions will
support developing and growing deer units, based on the
very compelling evidence provided in this issue of Deer
Industry News (pages 12-14).
I wish readers a happy and safe Christmas. I hope you have a
refreshing break and come back ready for a positive 2009.
John Scurr, Chairman
Deer Industry New Zealand
Deer Industry News is published by Deer Industry New Zealand six times a year in February, April,
June, August, October and December. It is circulated to all known deer farmers, processors, exporters
and others with an interest in the deer industry. The opinions expressed in Deer Industry News do not
necessarily reflect the views of Deer Industry New Zealand or the NZ Deer Farmers’ Association.
Circulation enquiries: Deer Industry New Zealand,
PO Box 10-702, Wellington, Ph 04 471 6114, Fax 04 472 5549, Email info@deernz.org
Editorial and advertising enquiries: Words & Pictures, PO Box 27-221, Wellington, Ph 04 384 4688,
Fax 04 384 4667, Email din@wordpict.co.nz
Cover: Katherine Sharp of Stag Genetics, Anakoha Bay, Picton, was the deserving winner of our Grand
Velvet Photo competition with this finely composed shot.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 3

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Grand velvet photo competition:
The Winners!
A late flurry of entries meant our judges were kept busy right down to the wire, sifting through the many wonderful
photos submitted for our Grand Velvet photo competition. We now have a great new pool of images for helping
promote our velvet antler products to the world.
Judges’ comments
First Prize: $600
The overall winner is Katherine Sharp of Stag
Genetics, Anakoha Bay, Picton, with this stag in an
excellent pose, against a nice backdrop of native bush,
emphasising New Zealand’s clean green environment.
It’s our cover shot for this issue of Deer Industry News.
Condition of deer: Some great photos were spoiled by
shabby winter coats still being shed, which is obviously
what typically happens this time of year.
Backgrounds: Try to avoid features such as fences,
yards, dead trees, tracks or buildings in the background
unless they’re a part of the story you’re conveying.
Framing: Deer don’t always cooperate by standing still,
but try to think about the composition of the photo.
What part will features such as trees, water, horizons and
pasture play in the shot? Will they enhance the photo
or be a distraction. How does a group of animals look
together? Are any partially obscured or facing the wrong
way?
Cropping: Be careful not to crop photos too tightly.
Some great shots were spoiled when the lower legs or
back end of an animal were cut off. On the other hand,
cropping can also be used to create an unusual effect.
Light conditions: Difficult light conditions can become
an asset. For example, backlit animals and their velvet
can look stunning in silhouette. Strong sunlight can be
good, but it also creates strong shadows. The diffused
light during bright but overcast weather can help pick
out details and give an almost luminous look to your
subjects.
Picture resolution: Make sure your digital camera
is set at high resolution. Some wonderful photos were
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $150
Chris Petersen’s photography featured over many years in
the Warnham & Woburn photo awards, and this delightful
photo captures his stags advancing expectantly on the
photographer after a late spring snowfall in the Te Anau
Basin.
Tom May’s stag looks in excellent form – happy with life and
rather pleased with himself. This is a nicely composed photo
showing a healthy stag, a good head of velvet and a wellmanaged
farming environment.
4
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too small for us to publish. A good
front-page photo will be at least 2000
pixels along its shortest edge (about 5
megapixels total). A photo taken for a
poster should be even larger. This gives
us the flexibility to crop the photo.
Focus/depth of field: Difficult with
a moving target, we know, but sharper
focus on the main subjects would
have brought more entrants into the
reckoning. Using a telephoto lens your
depth of field (the area in focus) will
be quite narrow, but if you get it right
a sharply focused deer with the trees/
pasture slightly blurred can look very
effective. A tripod can be useful in
these situations.
Date stamp: Some cameras
automatically include the date and
time on the image. Please turn this
feature off! Photoshop tells us when
the photo was taken, the camera and
settings, without the information being
part of the photo image.
And finally…
Our special thanks to all those who
got out there and stalked their stags
with a camera. You’ve helped us
compile a great resource for the good
of all the industry and we intend to
share the best of your efforts through
this magazine and our promotional
material.
Rhys Griffiths
Velvet Marketing Services Manager
Highly commended
Our shortlist also featured a number
of other excellent entries which
showed real flair, imagination and
thoughtfulness but unfortunately
just missed out on a place. Deer are
never easy to photograph at the best
of times, though these following
pictures seem to have caught them
perfectly. We would like to mention
the following photographers for
their efforts, under a “Highly
Commended” section and they
will receive a bottle of something
pleasant in recognition of a nicely
composed photo. Your entries will
be published and acknowledged in
future issues of Deer Industry News
as space permits:
(Top) Tom Loveridge of Taranaki,
with his portrait of stags in velvet
against the majestic background of
Mount Taranaki.
(Middle) Trevor Thomas of Central
Hawke’s Bay with this great
grouping of stags.
(Bottom) Angela Kelly of
Rotorua submitted this fantastic
shot of Mac taken by Tracey
Robinson Photography. The judges
acknowledge that the quality of this
photo was superb!
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Issue No 33 • December 2008 5

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CWD surveillance: come on southerners – do your bit!
The deer industry’s centre of gravity might be slowly moving south, but it’s the southern South Island that needs to lift
its game when it comes to vigilance against chronic wasting disease (CWD).
A review of the CWD surveillance programme by Dr Lachlan
McIntyre, MAF’s Senior Adviser – Surveillance Group
(Animals), shows that the overall number of brain samples
submitted between 2002 and now (4,500) is satisfactory.
However the geographic spread of samples has been very
uneven, and MAF would like to see more submissions
coming from areas that are currently very lightly sampled.
Very few samples are currently received from South
Canterbury, Otago and Southland. The only areas to have
been sending in plentiful samples are the central North Island
and central Canterbury.
CWD is a member of the ‘family’ of transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies (TSEs), which includes mad cow disease.
No TSEs have been detected in New Zealand, but a credible
and robust surveillance programme is necessary if our TSEfree
status is to be preserved.
Canada’s experience with BSE is a sobering reminder of
the impact it can have. Beef animals there plunged in value
from $1300 to $130 after the disease was discovered. If CWD
was found in New Zealand it would affect not only the deer
industry but also sheep and beef would be
affected because of increased scrutiny from
our markets.
MAF and DINZ pay farmers $100 + GST
for each deer brain submitted for sampling,
while vets are paid $160 + GST for their
part. The scheme is designed to target
animals most likely to be at risk and showing
symptoms consistent with CWD. These
include deer two years and older showing
signs of ill-thrift and wasting, behavioural
changes, nervous disease or pneumonia. Illthrift
is the main symptom cited when deer
are selected for monitoring.
Dr McIntyre says scouring is not considered
an indicator, the weight loss being caused
by not eating. He notes that affected animals
may urinate excessively, which could give the
appearance in females of scouring on the hindquarters.
At a glance
He says some vets are taking advantage of Tb testing to
look over stock and identify any likely candidates for CWD
surveillance, and suspects a number of those chosen are in
fact suffering from Johne’s disease.
In his report, Dr McIntyre recommends that future sampling
be focused on areas where few or no brain samples have
been submitted, with an awareness programme in undersampled
regions to improve the response.
“We recommend the current surveillance programme
continues with modification to restrict sampling to farms
which have been either minimally sampled or not at all. At
present we’re getting too many samples from a small number
of farms and not enough from a wider range of farms.” The
total sample numbers per year could be allowed to decline,
the report continues, but infrastructure should be maintained
• MAF pays farmers
$100 + GST per
brain submitted.
• Vet must see live
animal to confirm
it is a candidate for
monitoring.
• Deer must be at
least 2 years old.
• Suspect symptoms
include illthrift,
wasting, behavioural
changes, nervous
disease, pneumonia.
Dr. Lachlan McIntyre: Many of the animals selected for CWD
testing may be infected with Johne’s disease.
so that a rapid increase in sampling can be
implemented if necessary. From November MAF
has limited the number of samples accepted from
individual farms to two per submission.
Speaking to NZDFA Branch Chairmen at their
October meeting, Dr McIntyre said the fact we
had imported deer from North America, where
CWD is in the deer population means it is wise
to monitor our own animals closely. He said it
probably affects Red deer, but there is no history
of exposure to confirm susceptibility. He said
the disease is spread by prions, not bacteria or
viruses, and these are probably ingested. If the
disease were present in New Zealand it could be
spread among deer through normal husbandry
practices such as scanning, Tb testing and
velvetting.
“The incubation period can be years, but
the actual disease progresses over weeks or months,” he
explained.
He said samples for testing could also be taken from other
parts of the deer such as the peripheral lymph nodes,
but these methods have yet to be validated by the world
organisation for animal health (OIE).
On the question of why sampling for CWD monitoring has
been lacking in the South, he said he understood much Tb
testing is done by non vets, meaning less opportunity for vets
to get onto farms and do the sampling. One Branch Chairman
suggested the demands of the dairy industry meant vets had
little time for the CWD monitoring work.
Dr McIntyre reminded farmers that the vet needs to see the
live animal to confirm it is a candidate for monitoring. The
farmer killing the animal and bringing the head into the vet
for sampling is not acceptable, he said.
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NAIT show goes on
The NAIT juggernaut rolls on, with a series of farmer meetings and presentations at A&P shows held during November
and December to sell the concept to the rural sector. The roadshow’s public meetings will be completed by Christmas,
but consultation through some on-farm field days will continue until March next year. It’s hoped these will be held on
farms where RFID technology is working, so that the impact at a farm level can be discussed.
The discussion document on NAIT received nearly 100
submissions, including separate contributions from DINZ,
Deer Industry Association and NZDFA. MAF had extended
the closing date for submissions to allow Federated Farmers
to complete their membership survey, and the analysis of
submissions plus the feedback received during the NAIT
roadshow is now scheduled to be completed by March 2009.
NAIT Project Manager Craig Purcell says feedback from the
meetings will help shape the design of NAIT. When he spoke
to Deer Industry News he had just attended farmer meetings
at Winton and Gore, where there was a strong presence from
deer farmers.
“They reinforced their concerns around ownership of the
data, and that had been reported by other sectors. They also
made the point about the high proportion of deer – about
70 percent – that go direct to slaughter when they leave the
farm. We knew about this, but it’s been helpful to hear about
the concerns first hand.”
Concerns from both cattle and deer farmers about loss of tags
have been coming through strongly at the meetings. “That’s
something we’ll look at more closely.”
Feedback received from farmers who attended the Southland
meetings was tinged with some frustration that the meetings
were challenging to run, with the floor often dominated by
Federated Farmers advocating their strong position. Media
have referred to these meetings as “testy”. The deer farmers
at the meetings said that while the responses given to
concerns raised seemed to be stock answers to justify the
current stance, and while deer farmers’ positions were well
known to NAIT, it was nonetheless useful to have that grass
roots perspective. Deer farmers however, in spite of that of
willingness to listen, felt it was going to be very difficult to
make changes they see as critical to the scheme’s design.
Craig Purcell says farmers want the transition to NAIT to
be slower, while those in the rest of the value chain want it
implemented quickly. The dairy sector is “very comfortable”
with the NAIT concept, which won’t demand much change
except the requirement to tag young calves going to rearers.
A number of beef farmers had highlighted the paradox of
having NAIT-tagged cattle running with un-tagged sheep
on the same property. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Craig
comments. “Our brief is to make sure it’s relatively simple to
clip on another species later on.”
He says the one-on-one conversations held around the
country have been very fruitful. “We talked to more than 100
people at the Canterbury show with discussions ranging from
one minute to well over an hour.”
MAF’s Ian Govey concurs. He says the face-to-face meetings
are yielding excellent feedback, with many practical issues
being teased out more than they may have been in the
written submissions. The 2011 implementation date still
stands, but will ultimately depend on a number of factors,
including the enabling legislation, he says.
Federated Farmers wasted no time attacking the NAIT
proposal through the media, and the manner the scheme is
being introduced based around their interpretation of a draft
cost benefit analysis and views related to the biosecurity
argument if all species are not included.
The submissions of NZDFA and DINZ are broadly in line
with each other, and express similar reservations. Differences
centre around the benefits of the NAIT scheme. NZDFA
says the scheme will have no benefit until all livestock
including pigs and sheep are brought on board to satisfy the
biosecurity aspects. DINZ takes a pragmatic view that there
will be a competitive marketing advantage to be had from
moving to a NAIT programme from the current AHB system,
regardless of whether all livestock classes are on board.
Key points in the DINZ submission included:
• support in principle for traceability and a lifetime
individual animal passport based on a unique animal
identity
• opposition to the mandatory inclusion of deer in NAIT
in 2011 unless appropriate technology is available
• concerns about potential costs and proposed governance
structure for the system
• support for the Animal Health Board (AHB) model as a
governance structure utilising the incorporated society
governance model
• commitment to further investigating UHF and unique
global ID system technology (which may also be more
suitable for sheep) as a more appropriate pathway for
NAIT implementation
• support for investigating re-use of RFID tags to help
lower costs
• concern about fitting Fallow deer and animals on game
estates into the system.
Key points in the NZDFA submission included:
• opposition to mandatory introduction until all relevant
species are included in the scheme.
• concern that 70 percent of deer make only one trip –
direct to slaughter from the farm where they were born
– and so present a very low biosecurity risk
• support for using the AHB’s database and governance
structure as a basis for NAIT
• delaying mandatory inclusion of deer until UHF
technology is properly evaluated and commercially
available if proven
• support for a 50:50 split between the Crown and
industry for operating costs, rather than the 35:65 split
proposed
• commitment to use Focus Farms to evaluate use of both
LF and UHF tags as a precursor to eventual acceptance
of the appropriate technology by farmers
• belief that there is no support from deer farmers for
either the introductory or mandatory phases of NAIT as
proposed
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On the plus
side….
Speaking to NZDFA Branch
Chairmen in October, New Zealand
Food Safety Authority Verification
Agency Technical Manager, Chris
Mawson said other countries
such as Canada, the United States
and Britain had been forced into
traceability systems. He said
the world was moving in that
direction and our producers had an
opportunity to learn from others’
experience before deciding how we
could use the technology to our
advantage.
“Current food safety risks [from
New Zealand animal products]
are fairly negligible, but we have
an opportunity [through NAIT] to
further demonstrate how our riskbased
systems work.
“From a biosecurity perspective,
our experience with the Waiheke
Island hoax showed there are
significant gaps in our ability to
quickly identify and trace animals
in a disease emergency. Those
gaps can be closed by an electronic
programme.
“A number of food processors
are identifying individual animal
traceability as important and
probably a key part of their
marketing of animal products.”
• belief that market access,
traceability and food safety
requirements are adequately
catered for by existing industry
programmes.
A recent prototype trial involving 26
Waikato and King Country farmers
will be used to help refine the NAIT
proposal. Meat processors, sales
organisations and transport companies
were also involved. The study
showed that farmers could easily
grasp the system, according the NAIT
independent chairman, Ian Corney.
www.nait.org.nz
Ticking the right boxes – it matters
If the requirements to fill out animal status declaration forms (ASDs) seem
pedantic, get used to it!
That was the message to deer
farmers from NZ Food Safety
Authority Verification Agency
Technical Manager, Chris Mawson
at the October Branch Chairmen’s
meeting. Chris was explaining the
rationale behind the Authority’s
On-Farm Verification programme
(see Deer Industry News October
2008, page 9).
The boosted programme started
this month and will see an increase
in the number of livestock farms
visited by the NZFSA Verification
Chris Mawson: Reminder that ASD forms are
Authority veterinarians. Of the statutory declarations and need to be done
600 sheep, beef and deer farms to correctly.
be visited annually (up from the
current 240), it’s likely that 80-100 will be deer farms.
This is to strengthen assurances to overseas markets that we are complying with
both their requirements and our own.
Chris explained that the EU Veterinary agreement signed in 1996 is still a world
leader in terms of trade access through a bilateral agreement. It’s based on the
concept of equivalence, i.e. accepting that our programmes deliver the same
outcomes as the EU’s own law. A key principle of this agreement is that we
demonstrate compliance with our own rules and standards. Systems such as ASDs
are scrutinised for compliance and accuracy by importing country regulatory
authorities, so their full and accurate completion by farmers is essential said Chris.
The visits will be done by NZFSA VA vets from about 60 licensed plants. Southland
Branch Chairman, Brian Russell said he’d heard of one on-farm visit that had
taken five hours, with the vet clearly unfamiliar with deer farming. Waikato’s Steve
Borland added that an audit on his dairy runoff had taken about four hours. Chris
Mawson acknowledged that there had been such occurrences in the past. The
changes made by the Agency to the programme and selection of people who have
a good understanding of New Zealand farming practices, should preclude this type
of situation reoccurring. He had anticipated the visits would be completed in two to
three hours, and that there would be clear advance notice and explanation of what
information was required and what the review process would be.
He reminded the Chairmen that ASD forms are a statutory declaration and so should
be done correctly. It needs to be made clear on the form who is signing them and
the information needs to be supported by farm records.
Animal welfare requirements, a voluntary part of the audit process, are included
in the programme in order to gain an understanding of farmers’ knowledge about
this aspect of farming. Animal welfare is gaining a higher profile in many countries
and New Zealand farmers need to be aware of this, he said. Wairarapa Branch
Chairman, Tony Bayliss pointed out that welfare requirements during transport are
not part of the audit. Chris Mawson conceded that live animal transporters are not
targeted, but the on-farm verification programme will look at farmers’ understanding
of the requirements for the transport of animals. The welfare of animals on arrival
of animals at processing plants is monitored by Verification Agency vets on a daily
basis and any issues arising regarding transport are dealt with immediately.
He said velvetting was one area likely to be of interest to overseas authorities, partly
because it’s not done in many countries and the Verification Agency and MAF had
done a lot of work with the deer industry to ensure compliance with the welfare
requirements for this activity.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 9

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NVSB Update
The end of the last velvetting season was one of the tidiest in the experience of DINZ Quality Manger John Tacon.
Reporting to the Branch Chairmen in October
he said there were currently 1,067 certified
velvetters. A further 150 are in abeyance and
6 had been suspended for non-payment of
fees going into this season. Overall there were
80 new velvetters joining the programme, but
there was a loss of about 99 on the previous
year, mainly through people exiting the
industry.
John said many signing up to the programme
for the first time are long-term farmers, and
there had been a big increase in enquiries and
new contracts for the programme.
The number of ID tags issued so far this
season was down about 60,000 on last season
and that difference was unlikely to close by
more than about 15,000. This would represent
a drop of about 18 percent on the tags issued
last season – an indication that there are fewer stags out
there.
John said there had been significant concern from velvet
processors about the proposed new velvet ID tags with
readability an issue with blood splash. There are still plenty
of tags in stock to be used up, but NVSB is investigating
getting the tags printed here in New Zealand again once
those are used up.
He said last season was the first time the proportion of
certified velvetters being audited had dropped from 20
percent to 10 percent. Eventually 113 of the 143 notified
audits were done.
The main issues identified in the audits were familiar ones:
hygiene, handling and operator safety.
Vet training days were being offered through the NVSB
auditors again this year; there had been a good response
from Southland vets but not so from other regions.
There will be no significant changes to the NVSB Manual
during the current update, John reported. The 49 changes
being made are mainly housekeeping to tidy up minor
anomalies. The manual is out of print and a new edition will
be produced soon.
All the sales
with all the
details
DINZ Quality Manager John
Tacon: a significant increase
in enquiries about NVSB
programme.
The NVSB is due for review, but this won’t
happen until possible changes to the Agricultural
Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act are
confirmed.
Transport and welfare
The changed standard for antler length during
transport (maximum 110 mm) is once again a
QA rather than a welfare issue – unless a stag
arrives at the processor with a broken antler. John
said any issues about antler length will now be
communicated to farmers by NZFSA Verification
Agency through the processor.
There had been a number of welfare issues (on
farm and transport related) over the past year, John
noted. Twenty farmers signed admissions of guilt to
various velvetting and transporting offences including
performing illegal surgical procedures and ill treatment of
animals. This action precluded them from going to court in
these instances, although the admissions could be used as
evidence in subsequent cases.
John said that in the few cases where deer have arrived dead
at processing plants, one of the main causes is the use of
trucks with large cattle pens. The pens must be divided with
a centre gate and there is a maximum of eight per pen at 100
kg, he reminded farmers.
DINZ had an good working relationship with the MAF
Enforcement Group and NZFSA VA, and John commended
those groups for their positive and inclusive attitude.
Finally John announced some changes in the DeerQA
Transport committee. Ken Swainson has stood down after
being on the committee since its inception in 1992, and was
thanked for his sterling service over that period. There are
two new members: former Branch Chairman Pip Rutland
and David Wearing of Canterbury’s Central Deer Freighters.
The DeerQA Transport Programme continues to thrive with
all venison processors accepting only accredited transporters
delivering deer to their plants. With new drivers coming in
to the industry on a regular basis, driver training courses
are still run on an as-required basis in various regions
throughout the country.
Contact Sharon or Rebecca Phone: (07) 332 5892 Fax: (07) 332 5891 Email: tradedeer@xtra.co.nz
Website: www.tradedeer.co.nz
10
Deer Industry News

news
Venison production shows healthy gross margins
There’s money in deer. It seems like a long time since that could be said with conviction, but the analysis tells a very
positive story. In fact some venison enterprises are offering the best returns for investment on New Zealand farms.
A comprehensive gross margin analysis
comparing relative profitability across
all major New Zealand farm enterprises,
produced by Southland farm consultant
Graham Butcher from Rural Solutions,
show returns from finishing purchased
weaner deer tops all farming options in
the Southland-based model. Relativities
are also confirmed in a North Island model
(page 14).
Finishing weaner deer returned 22.64
cents/kg DM consumed, compared to
11.90 cents for a Southland dairy farm
conversion, 15.10 cents from an existing
Southland dairy unit, and 13.68 cents for
bull beef rearing (Table 1).
Graham’s in-depth breakdown has
produced some revealing data on the
best options for land use in the region,
challenging perceptions on farming
investment. It’s a very robust analysis that
takes all direct costs into account, truly
reflecting what it costs to grow farmed
animals.
The most profitable land use option is
finishing weaner deer, followed by summer
and winter lamb trading, then crossbreeding and finishing using an
Elk/Wapiti terminal sire, ahead of all dairy enterprises (Table 1).
Table 1: Gross margin analysis based on cents/kg
dry matter consumed.
Enterprise
The returns from dairy farming are likely to be lower than many
would expect, but as we went to press, Fonterra was announcing
further ‘softness’ in prices from the $6/kg used in this model. Whole
milk powder prices had declined 49 percent since July and EU skim
milk prices were down 45 percent. Further downward price pressure
was expected.
Rural Solutions’ analysis has taken into account all of the direct
expenses associated with each enterprise type to truly compare
bottom lines.
“It takes more grass to graze dairy heifers, and costs reflect that,”
says Graham Butcher. “The results represent the true total costs
of production by including all of the management and pasture
production expenses that occur in a normal dairy operation.”
Considered analysis of the relative returns for future land use across
New Zealand is crucial, and Graham is urging farmers to take a long
and critical look at all the figures as they weigh up their long-term
options.
The analysis is a starting point to critically examine how to make
more profit from dry matter produced .
“Understand what is needed to produce the best profit from your
land type, before deciding on land-use and livestock changes. There
are opportunities for improving production, and improving returns
from existing land types, so objectively comparing gross margins
on all livestock types is very important for farmers and their bank
advisers to ensure any decisions are based on solid data.
“For example, farmers will likely increase pasture production to
convert an existing sheep, beef or deer farm to dairying. But if the
farm is capable of growing substantially more grass, they should sit
down and look at how that extra dry matter can be best used.
c/kgDM
consumed
Purchase weaner deer, finishing (above average) 22.64
Purchase weaner deer, finishing, with conversion costs 20.23
Summer lamb trading 19.34
Winter lamb trading 17.92
Terminal Sire ( Elk wapiti) crossbreeding and early finishing 16.45
Southland dairy (established) 15.10
Terminal Sire crossbreeding & early finishing with conversion 13.88
Bull beef, rearing 13.68
Breeding Red hinds, finishing 12.93
Bull beef, 100kg purchase 12.86
Dairy cows, winter at 13 kg/$30 12.81
Dairy heifer grazing 12.21
Southland dairy, with conversion 11.90
Breeding Red Hinds, finishing with conversion costs 10.81
Breeding ewes [140 percent, 50 percent hogget mating] 9.29
Autumn-purchase steer calves 9.19
Red Hinds, selling weaners 9.15
Breeding cow, finishing 8.95
Breeding ewes [135 percent, no hogget mating] 8.38
Breeding cow [calving year 2, sell weaners] 7.37
Breeding ewes, store [135 percent, no hogget mating] 7.06
Hinds, selling weaners with conversion costs 6.43
“It may be that utilising existing deer
fences and restocking provides the returns
farmers will be looking for in the current
economic climate.”
Graham believes it’s very easy to be swayed
by attractive milk solids payout figures, but
there are considerable extra direct costs and
increases in other farm expenses to factor
in on dairy in day-to-day management,
compared to all other land uses. There is also
more debt servicing and compliance costs
involved with a dairying conversion.
“Analyse carefully – take into account debt
loading and how comfortable you are with
debt, along with lifestyle preferences. Don’t
base the decision solely on gross income.”
Based on current costs, these returns show
deer farming, and in particular finishing
weaners, is profitable. Buying an existing
deer farm, restocking or even converting
sheep and beef to deer are all attractive
and profitable options to consider.
About the analysis
Graham Butcher’s detailed gross margin
analysis of sheep, beef, dairy and deer enterprises presents a return
based on cents per kilogram of dry matter consumed, an accepted
practice for comparing land uses. While it is a relative rather
than absolute approach – individual farms’ costs will differ – it is
nonetheless a good guide for profit.
Basing his assumptions on standard New Zealand farm models using
Farmax and StockPol, the analysis presents relative profit objectively,
comparing only the direct costs from the different production systems.
Income is based on current schedules (November 2008).
Costs of management, feeding and animal health that are inherently
the same are not included in the calculation.
The analysis takes into account the current cost of direct expenses
on stock, feed, animal health and management, and the capital
costs of improvements specific to the production system, but not
farm loans or drawings. It also gives profits from finishing and from
purchasing deer with no conversion costs and then compares that
with conversion factored in.
All of the comparisons are regionally based to ensure benchmarking
is valid, but the conclusions from his Southland analysis can be
applied across New Zealand farms in general.
The analysis is a current snapshot based on current returns and
expenses, but farmers also need to examine long-term trends and
market volatility.
Schedule venison prices received by farmers in this gross margin
analysis are based on an $8.00 AP grade seasonal average. Average
price/kg received for weaners ranged from $3.80 for 52 kg liveweight
average hinds, to $4.25 for 56kg liveweight average stags.
Although purchased weaner deer finishing returns were very
positive, the profit on selling weaner hinds is relatively poor, at 6.43
cents, reflecting a current disparity between weaner selling prices
in 2008, and the profit returned from finishing those weaners this
season as the venison market firmed strongly.
12
Deer Industry News

news
Deer farming profitability:
Breeding and finishing using Elk/Wapiti terminal sires option
“All gone by December”
The productivity strategy has a mantra “more calves, earlier and
heavier”. The gross margin analysis by Graham Butcher includes a
study of a heavy weight, high-performance venison breeding and
finishing system, based on Elk/Wapiti sires selected for high EBVs.
This analysis has been scaled to the model used in the October issue
of Deer Industry News, page 11.
The farming system is based around John and Mary Falconer’s
Clachanburn Elk, located in the Maniototo area of Central Otago. The
high country extensive tussock hill breeding operation combined
with relatively high-cost autumn/winter finishing on developed,
irrigated pastures of high-quality autumn-saved grass, swedes,
silage and a small amount of barley.
Farm performance is high. The 900 head commercial herd is
based on a crossbred hind averaging 140kg, including R2yo hinds.
Conception rate has averaged 93% over the past three years, and
weaning percentage 90-91%.
Weaning is delayed post rut to first week in May. Following joining of
selected high-EBV Elk/Wapiti 3yo stags (45-70% Elk/Wapiti on DNA) in
mid February, hinds and weaners are moved to the irrigated flats and
power pastures and introduced to silage to boost late lactation.
Clachanburn has a heavy emphasis on animal health. Young stock
are drenched, vaccinated for yersiniosis and selenium treated in
March. Vaccine booster, drenching and copper treatment are done
at weaning in May, with selenium dose and parasite pour on drench
done mid winter and pre spring.
Weaners are 70kg at the March animal health treatments and
wean at an average 90kg in the first week of May.
Elk/Wapiti bulls are removed on 25 April and all dry hinds are
culled following scanning.
The programme targets boosted winter weaner growth of 180g/
day, finishing on early spring grass to supply at peak schedule. Peak
weights average 60kg (male and females) over 8 – 9 weeks.
Shipments head out weekly, with 54% sent by end September,
the next 31% in October and the balance gone by the first week in
December.
In this buoyant season, returns have averaged $595 per head at
$9.38/kg, a far cry from 2007’s $386 per head and $6.35/kg.
We have used Clachanburn’s well-documented performance data
in the established model to show how a breeding and finishing
operation based on Elk/Wapiti terminal sires performs on the same
basis: income in cents per kg, per kilogram dry matter consumed.
Farm profile
600 Crossbred hinds (540 ma/60 R2yo) (15-35% Elk/Wapiti)
92% MA hinds weaning %
86% R2 Hinds weaning %
90% Mean weaning %
18 3yo High EBV Elk/Wapiti breeding bulls
8% replacement rate in females
1% death loss adults
1% death loss weaners
Income
Numbers Gross income ($)* $/head
Income: Venison
62.5kg @ $9.30/kg average males 263 148,858 566
57.5kg @ $9.30/kg average females 202 105,032 519
Cull hinds @ 77kg average carcass wt @ $9.30 /kg 49 34,276 699
Cull breeding stags @120kg @ $9.30 3 3,286 1,095
*less inspection fees ($9.50 and levy at $0.09)
Income: Velvet
18 Breeding stags 6kg average at $72.00/kg 108kg 7,357 409
Spikers
0kg
Total gross revenue 298,809
*less levy and MAF deduction
Enterprise costs
Number Total cost ($) $/head
Venison and velvet
Transport costs @ $6.50/head 517 3,361 6.50
Sub total 3,361
Direct enterprise on-farm costs
Feeding
Winter feed adults @ $23.57/head 600 14,142 23.57
Winter feed weaners @ 53.56/head 520 27,850 53.56
Winter feed stags @ $48.00 18 864 48.00
Sub total 42,856
Animal health
Animal health adults 600 6,000 10.00
Drench weaners @ $9.00/head 534 4,806 9.00
Copper/ Selenium @ $5.00/head 1,134 5,670 5.00
Pregnancy scanning @ 3.50/head 2,100 3.50
Velvetting adults $17.50 18 315 17.50
Velvetting spikers 0 0
Tb testing @$2.50 600 1,500 2.50
Sub total 20,391
Stock purchases
Breeding stag (good EBVs) replacements @
3 10,500 3,500
$3,500 X 3 per 600 hinds per year
Sub total 10,500
Total direct enterprise costs 77,108
Note: Feeding
This system utilises the cold dry winters ideally suited for deer.
Weaners are offered 2kg DM of swedes for winter (125 days),
utilising 1.3kg daily with 1.1kg DM silage and 0.1kg of barley
consumed daily. Hinds return to the hill following weaning and
return to eat silage and clean up swedes in the latter part. Total
winter costs average $29/head with weaner feed being almost ⅔ of
the costs to achieve the 180g/day average winter growth ($53.56/
head) and hinds at $23.57 share of the specific supplementary feed.
Feed Unit cost Total ($)
10.8ha Swedes (yield 8 tonnes Including regrassing @ $1,667/ha 18,004 4.79c/kg DM
DM/ha)
503 tonnes silage used $25/tonne 12,575 13.2c/kg DM
6.72 tonnes barley $450/tonne fed 3,240 23.27c/kg DM
Conservation fertiliser (silage) $18/tonne DM 9,045
Total winter feeding costs 42,864
Bottom line
We calculated the amount of feed that this level of production
required for lactation and production of venison with 18-25kg
put on over winter and in early spring to reach targeted finishing
weights:
Gross Margin Venison Breeding Finishing $221,701
Calculated kg DM used 1,016,787 21.8 c/kg DM consumed
Rural Solutions’ gross margin analysis takes a detailed, pragmatic
view of enterprises. It includes interest on capital stock and has
calculated conversion costs from sheep and cattle to deer. For
completeness, the gross margin analysis concludes:
Enterprise gross margin $221,701
Less interest on stock capital at 8.5% $54,431
Interest on capital required for conversion of 220ha
$26,180
@ $1400/ha @ 8.5%
Gross margin after interest and conversion costs $141,090
Kg DM consumed
1,016,787 kg DM
Gross margin per kg DM consumed
13.88 cents/kg DM
Gross margin after interest only (established deer farm) $167,270
Kg DM consumed
1,016,787 kg DM
Gross margin per kg DM consumed
16.45 cents/kg DM
Issue No 33 • December 2008 13

news
Icon at 7 years - 9.60 kg SA2
North Island figures back venison profitability claim
Eighty percent more profitable than intensive breeding ewes – that’s how deer finishing stacks up in a simple land use
option analysis prepared by Mark Macintosh, Facilitator for the DINZ Northern Regions Focus Farm Programme.
Based on return per kilogram of
feed utilised, Mark’s work backs the
findings from Rural Solutions’ more
detailed gross margin cost breakdown
across farming enterprises. Both
reports rate venison among the most
profitable options.
“Land use definitely favours deer
over sheep and beef from an
economic point of view, so venison production offers a costeffective
business option,” says Mark.
Sticking with the industry and building deer numbers
therefore stacks up financially. Mark believes conversion
could also be an option for some sheep and beef farmers
with an interest in deer.
“It’s a different type of farming, so it’s a lifestyle choice
as well as a financial decision. It won’t be for everyone.
However, the profit per kilogram of feed input from deer
is nearly twice that of sheep and beef. The numbers are
compelling.”
Mark presented some land-class comparisons to farmers
attending a recent North Island deer Focus Farm field day in
Te Awamutu. “There was a lot of discussion about improving
returns, and a growing awareness that there is good
Land use Policy Price/head Profit c/kgDM
1. Intensive breeding ewes 140% lambing with 75% from hoggets (includes Lambs at $81.00, $5.00 schedule 14.4
shearing costs)
2. Trading steers, 18 month system Finishing in autumn at 2.5 years of age. 300kg cwt $850/head margin, $4.50 schedule 15.6
3. Bull Beef Finishing at 18 months, 268kg cwt $4.30 schedule 16.5
4. Grazing dairy heifers 50% taken on as weaned calves in December, balance 6.00/week as calves, $8.00/week 16.3
in May
as yearlings
5. Deer finishing Weaners purchased in autumn and sold Aug-Jan 55kg cwt at $8/kg schedule 26.0
6. Dairy cows, short-term grazing Taken on for 4-8 weeks June/July $25.00/head per week, over winter 28.0
profitability for deer on hill country in the North Island.”
Based on an analysis using Farmax modelling, deer
finishing came out at 26 cents/kg DM, second only to shortterm
grazing dairy cows at 28 cents/kg DM. This compares
with intensive breeding ewes at 14.4 cents, trading steers in
an 18 month system at 15.6 cents, bull beef at 16.5 cents,
and grazing dairy heifers at 16.3 cents.
Results and their policy assumptions for the various
enterprises are shown in more detail in the table above.
All returns include a cost component for interest on stock at
10% but no other enterprise costs associated with feed, stock
health or animal management as these are assumed constant
on a SU basis across enterprises.
• Contact Northern Regions Focus Farm facilitator Mark
Macintosh: 027 449 1077, mark.mac@agfirst.co.nz
14
Deer Industry News

general news
Landcorp would be hit hard by ETS
If carbon emissions were priced at $25 a tonne, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) as it stands, fully implemented,
would wipe 75 percent off Landcorp’s bottom line, according to the state-owned enterprise’s National Manager –
Services & Strategy, Collier Isaacs.
Speaking to Branch Chairmen at their October meeting, he
said Landcorp would like to see more being done to help
agriculture reduce emissions, rather than simply being taxed
for emitting. “That’s why we’re investing $100,000 in the
Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium.”
He said Landcorp would need to plant about 17,000 hectares
in forest to fully offset its emissions. “We have about 7,000
hectares now, but about 5,500 hectares of that is pre-1990,
so it’s no use to us [for ETS purposes]. We’re fortunate we
have some hard country that might be suitable for planting,
but even so, we could probably only capture about half our
equivalent emissions in a carbon sink this way. But we won’t
be planting anything that would be better off under sheep,
cattle or deer.”
The review provided for in the legislation will take
international competitiveness into account which could help
mitigate against some of the impacts of the ETS, Collier said.
“The scheme creates a positive marketing angle, but it may
not help with survival.”
Landcorp had made some strident submissions on the ETS to
the select committee, in line with others in the agricultural
sector.
Collier Isaacs’ association with deer goes back around
25 years, and continues today in his role as independent
Chairman of DEEResearch. He noted that as the owner of
55,000 breeding hinds Landcorp continues to put $100,000
each year into deer research to invest in their productivity as
well as the industry’s.
With such a large herd, Landcorp is well placed to assist
with farm-based research and is willing to share its results.
One such area is Johne’s disease (JD), which continues to
be a significant issue for Landcorp. With movement from the
breeding to finishing properties, the disease is easily moved
into finishing operations. Landcorp has a testing programme
and is working with AgResearch’s Dr Colin Mackintosh on
options for managing JD.
Collier said the Landcorp deer herd, which accounts for
about 6-8 percent of the national herd, covers the full range
when it comes to growth rates and reproductive performance.
“We will definitely benefit from the productivity strategy,
along with the rest of the industry. We’re conscious of
our size in the deer industry and the potential impact we
could have. Many of our management personnel come
from an industry-good background, so we do think about
consequences.” One example of this was resisting the
temptation to accept some very high, potentially short term,
procurement offers for Landcorp’s venison this season.
Landcorp currently derives about 40 percent of its revenue
from dairying and 10 percent from deer, in line with its
strategy. The other 50 percent is divided equally between
sheep and beef – down from 75 percent just 5 years ago. The
diversified livestock portfolio now helped cushion Landcorp
if one sector was suffering.
Deer numbers in
Landcorp’s herd
had fallen in the
last two years,
but that reflected
sale of properties
near Taupo, not a
changed attitude
to deer. Drought
conditions and land
development on
the West coast had
also cut Landcorp’s
capacity for deer
recently.
“We’re putting up
more deer fencing
on the Rangitaiki
Station and putting
more deer into the
Te Anau basin, so
the numbers we’ve
lost will be made up
again. We still have
faith in the deer
industry!”
Collier Isaacs: happy to talk turkey
with industry on joint venture for a
Southland focus farm.
Collier said Landcorp farmed a total of about 175,000
effective hectares, and could probably put another 10,000
hectares behind deer fencing without breaking too much
of a sweat, but there was inevitably a balance to be struck
in some land classes between finishing deer or sheep, or
running dairy support. Currently Landcorp was a bit short on
lamb and deer finishing land, Collier said.
“We have been a bit overstocked in some of our deer
developments, and we’d prefer to have fewer animals putting
on more weight.”
Collier didn’t see parallels between the 2001 price peaks and
today’s high schedule. “We are not building a bow-wave of
unsold product this time, nor does the industry have large
numbers of deer overall, so the odds of a major price tumble
are reduced. This not to say current international economic
conditions won’t provide some challenges.”
In response to discussion about the need for a new Focus
Farm in Southland, Collier had encouraging words for the
Branch Chairmen. “If you wanted to pick one of our farms
in the Te Anau basin and turn that into a Focus Farm or
satellite, we wouldn’t have a problem with that.”
He said Landcorp would take a look at any proposal put
forward by the deer industry to contribute, say $25,000 to
such a Focus Farm project. “We could go 50/50 with the
Southland Branch. We have a lot of deer in that region, so
let’s talk.”
That’s one invitation deer farmers will be only too keen to
accept.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 15

general news
Animal Health Board Update:
Steady progress continues
A slower than expected drop-off in infected herd
numbers on the West Coast, and some unexpected
breakdowns in the Waikato have combined to slow
down the decrease in Tb-infected cattle herds across the
country, the Animal Health Board (AHB) reports.
At a presentation to NZDFA Branch Chairmen in October,
AHB Disease Operations Manager, Keith Lewis said the
number of infected cattle herds had dropped by only four, in
the 12 months to June 2008.
The pattern was similar for deer herds, with a steady decline
in infected herds over the past decade, but a relatively modest
drop (18 down to 16 infected herds) in the year to June 2008.
Since then, the last remaining infected herd in the North
Island has been cleared, bringing the national total to 15.
There were 386 Tb reactor deer in the 12 months to June
2008, but the number of confirmed Tb animals was just 23.
Keith said the AHB was currently predicting a total number
of infected herds (cattle and deer) of 118 by June 2009, a
conservative figure that allowed for 14 infected deer herds.
He added that national figures for period prevalence were
still tracking below the 2001 projections, and were in line
with the current national plan.
In discussion with the Branch Chairmen, there was some
concern that the large number of cattle movements caused
by last summer’s drought, and the continuing expansion
of dairying, could be helping spread the disease. It was
confirmed that calves less than one month of age do not
require tagging, as their risk of spreading Tb is extremely
low.
The issue of resistance to depopulation orders, which
sometimes sees emotions boiling over and threats issued,
was also raised during questions and answers. There
was general agreement that all deer farmers need to take
ownership of the Tb strategy, and if there are concerns about
herds not being tested or unauthorised movements, then
farmers should not be afraid to speak up.
The recent case of a South Island dairy farmer fined $25,000
plus a further $25,000 in costs, provoked a lively discussion.
Some felt that the fine under the Biosecurity Act could have
been much higher. Others pointed out that the penalty was
not only financial, with the farmer concerned now having
trouble finding grazing.
Keith Lewis said three other significant prosecutions were
in the pipeline. He said the worst offenders cause problems
for everyone, not just the AHB. Their breaches can end up
involving regional councils and in extreme cases the armed
offenders squad has been called out.
Rotorua Branch Chairman Andy Mitchell repeated his concerns
about possible large-scale movements of vectors following
removal of plantation forests in the central North Island. He
had been shooting large numbers of possums on his Bay of
Plenty farm since deforestation began in the area, and said
there were also reports of very high possum numbers on
Landcorp property where trees had been cleared.
16
Time getting tight for Pest
Management Strategy review
The pressure is on for MAF and the AHB to agree on
a strategy to take out for consultation early next year
as part of the scheduled review for the National Pest
Management Strategy (NPMS) for bovine Tb.
A detailed proposal must be presented to the Biosecurity
Minister David Carter by 30 September 2009.
Animal Health Board (AHB) Disease Operations Manager,
Keith Lewis updated Branch Chairmen on the review
process at their October meeting, noting that a new low-cost
containment option for bovine Tb requested by MAF was
unlikely to work.
He said the AHB’s review had identified two preferred
options to date: containment or eradication. Once the preconsultation
work is complete – preferably by the end of this
year – one of these will be taken out for consultation with
farmers and the public.
Containment is essentially a continuation along the present
path, maintaining pressure on vectors and reducing vector
risk areas until the 0.2% period prevalence goals is reached.
Then the disease and infected wildlife would need to be kept
pegged back below that threshold. The main disadvantage of
this approach is the ongoing maintenance cost of disease and
vector control, which AHB estimates is about $55 million per
annum.
The more ambitious eradication option seeks to keep up
the current methods to eventually eradicate the disease
entirely from both wildlife and livestock. (See Figure 1.) AHB
believes this is achievable, with the South Island West Coast
the last area to be cleared. Biological freedom from Tb in
New Zealand is estimated by AHB to take 25 years from now.
While initially more expensive than the containment option,
eradication would eventually see testing and vector control
cease. It is not expected that possums would be eradicated
per se.
A third option, “ad hoc control”, would involve no formal
NPMS and is not being seriously considered. Neither is the
“do nothing” option. Both are considered to lead to higher
costs and deteriorating Tb status over the long term.
Federated Farmers and Meat and Wool New Zealand have
declared support for the eradication option, while DairyNZ
and MAF are yet to decide which they will support. DINZ
and NZDFA are also broadly in support of the eradication
option, but also agree with MAF and DairyNZ’s approach,
which calls for a robust analysis of the technical data,
assumptions and cost-benefit analysis. In addition to vector
control, the strategy will consider all the policies that support
the overall aim, such as the testing regime and movement
control.
Keith said progress on the strategy review to date has been
slower than expected.
MAF and DairyNZ have convened a working group which
involves AHB members and independent disease control and
economic advice, he reported.
“AHB’s strategy options have withstood detailed technical
scrutiny and there may be some cost savings available within
Deer Industry News

general news
Figure 1: Comparative projected costs for
containment and eradication options.
the eradication and containment strategies.
The group has also requested an additional
lower cost ‘minimal containment’ model.”
Looking at a reduced spend on vector
control for this model, at $30 million/
year, AHB had concluded that the number
of infected herds would probably rise and
eventually stabilise at around 1300 in 15-20
years’ time.
“Realistically the choices for a preferred
strategy option come down to the
eradication and containment strategies as
presented in November 2007,” Keith said.
Retiring AHB Members’ Committee Chairman, Errol Croad
commented that it was essential that the different funding
providers from the dairy, beef and deer sectors agreed on
the strategy and funding formula. “If they are agreed, then
the Government will back it. But if there is any opportunity
for the Government to pull the money from this programme,
they will do so,” he warned. “I have stressed in my [AHB
Members’] committee, that we do not go out for public
consultation unless we agreed on the formula – otherwise
we’ll end up with the same debacle we had seven years
ago.”
The current funding formula sees vector control costs split
between regional councils (10 percent), the Government (50
percent) and the beef, dairy and deer sectors (40 percent).
For disease control, the farming industry pays all costs. Total
deer sector contribution to the NPMS in the 2007/08 year
was $1,977,000.
It is understood that, in the past, the dairy sector has been
reluctant to shoulder its full share of the funding burden.
Keith Lewis said MAF and AHB need to agree on the
preferred option by Christmas. A draft strategy proposal
and public documents would be developed during the
first quarter of 2009, with farmers and the wider industry
consulted in April and May. The next three months would
be taken up with analysing submissions and preparing a
strategy review proposal for the Minister by 30 September.
“There is absolutely no room for slippage,” Keith Lewis
concluded.
ETB Test approval progress
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has given interim approval
to use the modified ETB test in surveillance areas for C5+
herds. In a report to Branch Chairmen, AHB Technical
Manager, Paul Livingstone noted concern that in trials
to date, the modified ETB test appeared significantly less
sensitive to Tb in deer than the ETB test.
He has asked MAF to hold off from making a decision on
the modified ETB until the last of the data from three trials
being carried out by AgResearch was available.
Tb tests: expect a call
As of late October, there were between 1,000 – 1,200
overdue whole-herd Tb tests in the AHB’s records (tests
more than 180 days late). Until now, the AHB has written
to the farmer concerned and the supplier who did their
last test, to remind them that a test is due. In order to
cut down this backlog, farmers will now be phoned to be
reminded their test is due and asked who they want to do
the work. AHB will then phone the nominated tester and
inform them, in an endeavour to get them together with
the farmer to schedule the work.
Keith Lewis says it was found some deer vets hadn’t been
inputting deer test results into their Disease Management
Information System, which causes problems when results
from subsequent blood tests come in.
“By ringing the farmers and vets directly we’re finding
that quite a few of the ‘overdue’ tests have actually been
done, but the data’s been sitting around. Or we’re finding
that the farmer is no longer farming deer. The personal
contact with the farmer has been excellent, because we
get a lot of other useful feedback. Most farmers we talk to
have been happy to hear from us.”
Keith expects the backlog of overdue tests should
be cleared within six months using this more direct
approach.
Game estate culls OK for export
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has given AHBrecognised
Wild Game Estates the green light to export
venison from culled animals to Germany as wild game.
Previously the animals could only be sold on the
domestic market, but lack of demand has seen the
venison from these animals wasted until now. They can
now go through a game packing house with a proper Tb
assessment by the meat inspectors.
Only those game estates that meet the Game Estates
Association’s industry-agreed standards are recognised by
the AHB for this trade.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 17

general news
Johne’s information networks taking shape
A network of consultants with specialist knowledge of Johne’s disease (JD) in deer has built to around 30, reports
Johne’s Management Ltd (JML) National Database Manager, Jaimie Glossop.
Jaimie told NZDFA Branch Chairmen at their October
meeting that the veterinary specialist network will be trained
in May/June 2009. She said the consultants, predominantly
veterinarians, will be provided with a technical manual and
software to collate all farm-based JD information. This will
include information on results from Paralisa and ETB testing,
reports of JD-related deaths and non-specific reactors to Tb
tests and, of course, reports to farmers from the JML national
database on animals slaughtered with JD-suspect lesions.
This information would help the consultants build a clearer
picture of a farm’s JD status, and develop a strategy for
managing the disease.
The vets will also have their own JD-related web page
on the New Zealand Veterinary Association’s VetLearn®
Vetspace page, and it’s hoped to eventually make this pooled
knowledge available directly to farmers.
“I’m happy to talk to individual farmers about their JD issues
while the veterinary specialist network gets up and running,
but we’re also encouraging farmers to first talk to their vets,
who can also contact me.”
Jaimie reported that a second mailout had gone out in October,
this time to about 200 suppliers whose slaughter animals had
included at least one with JD-suspect lesions. The mailouts are
done once every four months, so farmers could be receiving
the news up to four months after the event.
She said, in the future, it is planned that when a line is found
to have a significant number of animals with JD-suspect
lesions, the supplier would be informed as soon as possible.
Another planned channel for fast-tracking feedback to
farmers will be through the JML website, where suppliers
will be able to log in and check their own results – this
information will never be more than one month old, Jaimie
said.
JML is currently developing a service agreement with the
Johne’s Research Group (2) to provide technical advice,
develop the next series of JRG Bulletins and update the
Johne’s Manual, which was launched in October 2006.
JML will have a presence at conferences and field days,
including the Lawrence Farmerama and Lincoln field days
early next year.
Producer Manager Tony Pearse told Branch Chairmen that
work is still continuing on the challenging task of developing
a voluntary herd status classification system.
Deer Industry News will be running regular updates from
JML, including statistical results on JD prevalence analysed
by Massey’s EpiCentre.
• For further information contact Jaimie Glossop:
0800 456 453, j.glossop@johnes.co.nz
Sire sales: 2009
Date Sale/location Time
6 January Tower Farms 11.30 am
Windermere Red Deer Stud
4.00 pm
7 January Raroa Red Deer 11.00 am
Kelly Oaks Deer Park
2.30 pm
Love Red Deer
4.30 pm
8 January Rodway Park Ltd & Sarnia Park 11.00 am
Pampas Heights Red Deer Stud 2.30 pm
10 January Unfehlbar Deer 9.30 am
Peel Forest Estate
2.00 pm
Pelorus Stud
6.00 pm
11 January Stanfield’s European Red Deer Stud 1.30 pm
12 January Deer Genetics 9.30 am
Foveran Deer Park
2.30 pm
13 January Gloriavale Deer Park, Littledale Deer 12.00
Park: Insignis Park, Christchurch noon
14 January Remarkables Park Stud 1.00 pm
Netherdale Red Deer
6.30 pm
15 January Arawata Deer Stud 1.30 pm
Ingor Deer Farm
6.30 pm
16 January Doncaster Deer Partnership TBA
Brock Deer
Wilkins Deer
17 January Littlebourne Wapiti 1.00 pm
Tikana – Wapiti
3.00 pm
18 January Lochinvar Wapiti Farm 11.00 am
Maryland Wapiti
4.30 pm
19 January Clachanburn Elk 12 noon
20 January Rothesay Trophy Deer 1.30 pm
21 January Edendale Wapiti TBA
22 January Raincliff Station Wapiti 1.00 pm
27 January Steinvale Wapiti 1.00 pm
COMING EVENTS: 2009
Date Event Time/Location
17 January NZ Elk/Wapiti Bull Auctions and NZEWS
Hard Horn (Antler) and Velvet Competition
31 January Southland Branch 2 year old velvet
competition
Contact for further
details
Winton Tom May: 027 433 3171
4:00pm, Norma & Harry Robinson’s, Janet Horrell: 03 236 8720
1 February Fiordland Branch velvet competition Chris and Helen Carran’s, same format as
previous years
10 February 2008 Environment Awards field day
featuring use of alternate dryland pasture
species (Duncan and Co award)
11 February Central Regions Focus Farm Community
field day
1:00pm-4:30pm, Lyndon and Millie
Matthews’ property, Puketira Deer, 6
Glenallen Road, Waikari
10:30am-5:00pm, Tim Aitken and Lucy
Robertshawe’s property, The Steyning,
Tikokino, Hawke’s Bay
19 February Canterbury Focus Farm community field day 10:30am-5:00pm, Mendip Hills
Station, Parnassus
21 February National Rising Stars hard antler and velvet
competition
Chris Petersen: 03 249 8996
Natalie Fraser: 04 471 6110
Facilitator Richard Hilson:
027 275 3943
Facilitator Peter Bradley:
027 649 1107
“The Oaks”, Tower Farms, Cambridge Sharon Love: 07 332 5892
24 February SCNO Focus Farm community field day 12:30-5:00pm, Ross and Sally Stevens’
property, Whiterock Station, Rangitata
Gorge, South Canterbury
25 February Northern Regions Focus Farm Community
field day
26–28 May Deer industry conference: “Passion and
profit”
12:30-5:00pm, Bruce Simmond’s
Rotorua property, Northern Boundary
Red Deer, 1129 Northern Boundary
Road, RD 3, Rotorua
Facilitator Nicky Hyslop:
027 474 4149
Facilitator Mark Macintosh:
027 449 1077
Palmerston North Travelodge Natalie Fraser: 04 471 6110
Tony Pearse: 021 719 038
18
Deer Industry News

general news
Utilising mother nature for bigger gains
You won’t need to increase the size of your commercial hinds to successfully raise fast-growing fawns when you use
Wapiti sires, says Elk/Wapiti stud breeder Dave Lawrence.
“Mating a Wapiti bull to your Red
hinds is simply utilising mother nature
and allows you to take advantage of
maximum biological efficiency. You
don’t need to sacrifice breeding hind
numbers when you use Wapiti sires.
Neither will you sacrifice reproductive
performance.”
Dave says the 12-month carcass weights
used by the Elk and Wapiti Society
of New Zealand in its advertising are
based on widely accepted growth
rates and weight data, sourced
from AgResearch Invermay, Lincoln
University, the DeerMaster manual and
the DeerSouth performance monitoring
and benchmarking group.
“Invermay research into lactation
of Red hinds has shown that udder
development is positively stimulated
by a hybrid foetus compared to a Red
foetus. After birth it was shown that
a Red hind feeding a hydrid fawn will
produce one-third more milk than if it
were feeding a Red fawn.”
He says a lot of effort has gone into promoting
genetic gains within Red deer, but points out
that using a Red sire of average genetic merit from within
the DEER Select database over a Red hind would yield a
liveweight advantage of 5.5kg at 12 months. This would
translate to a carcass weight advantage of 3kg. Dave claims
a Wapiti terminal sire over the same Red hind could yield a
12-month carcass weight advantage of 17kg compared with
the product of a standard Red sire.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Elk and Wapiti Society we now
have a competitive schedule for these larger carcasses. After
this was negotiated through the creation of NZ Elk we’ve
got this available across the board. In the past, switched-on
farmers who were targeting the spring schedule were using
Wapiti sires to achieve the weights early, but these animals
were being killed at 55-58 kg before they came into their
best growth phase. Now the bigger carcasses aren’t being
penalised, and that gives huge flexibility.”
The NZ Elk company works in with Gore’s Clover Meats.
Dave Lawrence notes that within a very short time of
Clover Meats getting under way with NZ Elk, the other
big processors started to match the better prices for larger
carcasses.
He says velvet production is another plus with Wapiti/Elk.
“Wapiti velvet has achieved a premium per kilo over Red
velvet for many years. It generally has a thick beam, is
substantially heavier than average Red deer velvet and is the
closest that New Zealand producers can come to the more
traditional Chinese and Russian product.”
Thinking big: Elk/Wapiti terminal sires will give you the carcass size you want,
says the Elk and Wapiti Society. Photo: Linda Scott.
STEINVALE DEER STUD
WAPITI VENISON SIRE SALE
TUESDAY 27TH JANUARY 2009
1 PM
On offer, a good selection of 3 and 4 year old
Fiordland and NZ Wapiti Bulls
On farm sale, 234 Piakonui Road
Walton, Matamata
All deer TB and Johne’s tested
Our C5 TB status will have no negative impact
on the destination herd’s current TB status.
For details contact:
Mike Steiner 027 439 2444 or 07 880 9979
Harley Steiner 027 431 7431 or 07 888 3958
Graeme Churstain 027 473 5853
Paul Lampp 027 442 6477
Issue No 33 • December 2008 19

industry news
New PGG Wrightson/Tasman velvet initiative
targets two-thirds of sales
Following the failure of negotiations between Velexco, PGG Wrightson Limited and Tasman Velvet Processors Limited to
forge a single business earlier this year, a new initiative has emerged. As Deer Industry News was going to press, PGG
Wrightson and Tasman Velvet Processors announced a new company which they expect will improve the performance of
the New Zealand velvet export supply chain. The model initially allows a one-third ownership by producers with three
producer directors on a seven-seat board.
The parties, with velvet producer support, intend to
incorporate a new company, the New Zealand Velvet
Marketing Company Limited (NZVM), with a focus on
marketing New Zealand’s quality deer velvet to world
markets.
Through the commitment of producers, NZVM will become
responsible for the marketing of two-thirds of New Zealand
velvet sales and will have the critical mass to drive further
efficiencies and targeted marketing initiatives.
“This exciting development is the first step towards
improving returns for New Zealand’s velvet producers
through a focus on marketing rather than commodity
selling,” said Conrad Wilkshire, General Manager of PGG
Wrightson’s Velvet Division.
Critical to success will be the development of robust
commercial partnerships with both Korea and China.
UNFEHLBAR
ENGLISH RED DEER
3rd Annual Stag Sale
On Farm
Saturday 10th January 2009
Breakfast & stag viewing 9am
Auction 10am
1st stop for the PGG Wrightson bus
Stud 20 minutes from airport
STAG WALK Fri 19 Dec - 3.30pm
Stags in the shed. No binoculars required.
Visitors always welcome
2008’s fantastic spikers are 2009 sale stags
Something for everyone!
Contact Guy Brady & Lynette Terry-Brady
Phone 03 3478158, Fax 03 3478159
Mobile 021 664 805 Guy, Mobile 021 058 3566 Lynette
Email Unfehlbar@xtra.co.nz
Website www.english-red-deer.co.nz
PGG Agents: Graham Kingsman 027 422 3154
Ron Schroeder 027 4321 299
ER0023608©
“Consumer demand for New
Zealand’s quality velvet product
remains strong in these markets,
but we need to satisfy their
demand in a more focused and
efficient manner if we are to
obtain the best possible returns
for producers,” Conrad added.
Tasman Velvet Director, Chris
Taylor agreed.
“At a time when the world
economic outlook remains
uncertain, it is imperative that we
seek out strong partnerships with
the distributors of New Zealand’s
quality deer velvet. We intend
NZVM to focus on relationships.
There is an interdependence
between sellers and buyers which
has been underestimated in the
past, and this has led to missed
opportunities for mutual benefit.
“Producers have been galvanised
by low velvet prices in recent
years to create structures to drive
industry reform, but the key
element missing has been a link
to a proven marketing company,”
Chris said. “NZVM will fill this
void.
“This is a totally commercial
solution. It brings together two
key players in the industry
while leaving the door open for
Chris Taylor, Tasman Velvet:
interdependence between
sellers and buyers has been
underestimated.
Conrad Wilkshire, PGG
Wrightson: we need to
satisfy their demand in a
more focused and efficient
manner.
producers to share ownership and take part in the marketing
principles, strategies and decision making. NZVM will have
a similar structure to other marketing organisations in the
rural sector, and already proven in the fine wool industry in
particular.”
Ownership will be split three ways, with PGG Wrightson and
Tasman Velvet each expected to take a one-third share in
NZVM and the remaining third open to producers.
Messrs Wilkshire and Taylor said they recognised that the
initiative would succeed only with the support of producers –
both as suppliers and through a role in establishing NZVM’s
governance structures.
“The aim of Tasman Velvet and PGG Wrightson is to
demonstrate the value of NZVM in the coming months as
a prerequisite to building producer support. We are open-
20
Deer Industry News

industry news
minded about the form of producer participation. We
believe that existing producer co-operatives and interest
groups are well placed to become involved if they wish to
do so.”
They said the VSM Supplier Council – comprising 12
velvet suppliers from around the country with significant
investment in the deer velvet industry – had shown strong
support for the establishment of NZVM.
The initial NZVM board will comprise seven directors –
two each from PGG Wrightson and Tasman Velvet and
three producer directors.
NZVM has already been welcomed by Tie Ling Ji Da Deer
Products of China, one of New Zealand’s largest buyers of
velvet.
“Interest is also coming from Korean buyers, who need a
reliable supply of quality product with delivery matched
to their business requirements,” Conrad Wilkshire said.
Tasman Velvet has considerable experience in the
international velvet market, a niche processing capability
and a strong presence in China.
PGG Wrightson provides collection and grading services to
New Zealand producers and operates the spot sales pools
and VSM sales service for producers.
NZVM is a registered company effective 5 December
2008. Operations will commence ahead of the New Year,
with the early priority being further communication with
producers.
DINZ and NZDFA welcome NZVM
initiative
DINZ Chairman, John Scurr said the development is positive.
“Initiatives such as this which help to move velvet down a
tighter, more coordinated supply chain are good news. It’s very
consistent with work that other companies like Velexco are doing
and I anticipate that a more orderly marketing structure will
assist all sellers including independent agents”.
Deer Farmers’ Association Chairman Bill Taylor has also
welcomed the formation of this new company.
“This announcement demonstrates a commitment to the future
of velvet by PGGW and Tasman, and I believe deer farmers will
support it with product at least.
“The New Zealand Velvet Marketing Company (NZVM) will
offer farmers an opportunity to take some ownership by way
of investment in the company that markets their velvet. While
Velexco has offered this same opportunity in the past, farmers
have failed to support the co-operative in sufficient numbers
to effect change. NZVM may also find it difficult to attract
investment from producers,” said Bill Taylor.
The press release announcing the initiative says “existing
producer co-operatives and interest groups are well placed to
become involved if they wish to do so”. Bill says this is exactly
what the NZDFA would like to see take place. “The association
believes the best interests of velvet producers will met by a
coordinated marketing approach supported by as many producers
as possible.”
VSM 2008/2009
A collective system for a
more controlled sales process
“We believe sustainable returns are built around quality velvet
and improving the average price for the season”
For further information contact:
National Velvet Manager
Tony Cochrane
03 344 3660 or 0275 918 438
tcochrane@pggwrightson.co.nz
North Island Manager
Gordon Herrington
027 597 4591
Velvet Administrator
Vaughan Sandford
0275 963 926
PGG Wrightson Velvet Freephone 0800 4 velvet (0800 4 835 838)
Issue No 33 • December 2008 21

industry news
Tyrolean dried venison:
Adding value to the game
trade
Not all commodity-type venison ends up as goulash.
One long-term fan of New Zealand venison is a specialist
producer of dried game meats in Austria. Ager GesmbH,
based in the picturesque Tyrol region of southern Austria,
manufactures game items and ready meals for distribution
throughout Europe.
The company was founded to process local wild shot deer
and wild boar, but as the supply of local game could not
keep up with demand for the company’s gourmet products,
Ager looked to New Zealand as a reputable supplier of
venison.
The main item the company produces is game speck, or airdried
ham. Speck is a very traditional food and part of the
local culinary culture of the Austrian/Italian alpine region.
Meat drying has been practised for centuries as a means of
preserving food for the long, cold alpine winters. The process
is similar to the production of the famous Italian hams such
as Parma, where the only added ingredients are salt, herbs,
mountain air and time.
Ager takes whole muscles from the leg and forequarter
and seasons them with a mix of flavourings. They are then
hung for six months to dry. Over this time they lose up to
40 percent of their weight through evaporation, but develop
deep and complex flavours. The venison is then vacuum
packed into 500g pieces or thinly sliced and laid on trays for
sale. The spec is sold mainly through retailers and Ager’s
customer list is growing with sales throughout Europe.
A recent development has been pre-cooked frozen ready
meals. Ager is producing roast venison, venison goulash and
venison geschnitzeltes (like stirfry) meals using New Zealand
venison. These are pre-cooked and come with a sauce with
a mixture of pre-prepared side dishes. Ager produces these
mainly for the retail sector, where frozen ready-to-cook
meals continue to be among the fastest-growing segments of
European supermarket sales. The product is also useful for
supplying catering establishments that don’t have time or
expertise to create these sorts of dishes from scratch.
Ager prefers frozen venison because the microbial counts and
product shelf-life are consistently lower than chilled. As they
do not depend on a quick turnaround, the company can buy
frozen in larger quantities when they are available and then
manufacture when it suits the business.
Consultation for Venison Industry Strategic Intent 2009-2014
The Venison Industry Strategy helps determine DINZ actions to advance the interests of the New Zealand deer industry.
It is a reference point for the Productivity Strategy, and while no individual venison exporting company is bound by it, it
provides a framework for some individual activities.
The Venison Industry Strategic Intent 2005-2009 is entering
its final year, and while the venison industry has changed
markedly since this strategy was first conceived in 2004, the
underlying issues remain.
In the coming months, venison marketers will be considering
some of the issues they face in establishing stable
profitability for the industry, and making recommendations
for either individual action, or collaborative activities.
The core short-term challenges for the industry are:
• establishing committed supply arrangements from
pasture to plate to provide certainty for marketing New
Zealand venison, and providing some price stability
• increasing venison production to supply a demanding
market, providing sufficient raw material for processors’
needs
• maintaining demand in diverse markets and growing
this demand as supply increases.
The strategy must be adaptable to change. For example,
the original volume targets for market diversification in the
2004-2009 strategy were achieved in year 2 as a result of the
massive increase in production when farmers reduced deer
numbers in 2005 and 2006. However, some of this alternative
The picturesque Tyrol region in Austria is home to game meats
specialist, Ager GesmbH.
business was not established at sustainably profitable prices
for farming deer and, as volumes have fallen, many of these
newer customers have fallen away.
But reducing the industry’s reliance on the traditional
game restaurant sector remains as important today as it did
during the high production period of 2005 to 2007. This is
because over-reliance on sector could expose the industry
to sudden market shocks. Rather than simple volumebased
targets, companies work to diversify distribution
channels, developing specific products for specific users, so
that the volume of venison flowing to European restaurant
wholesalers can be kept in balance with expected demand.
At the same time, the European ‘game’ restaurant will
continue to be the best-returning sector for New Zealand.
For the foreseeable future, affluent Europeans who want
game meals in winter will pay more than any other largeuse
sector, and this will continue to be the focus of venison
marketing activities.
Over coming months DINZ will be working with venison
marketing companies to refine the goals of an industry
strategy, and will seek the views of all participants in the
value chain.
22
Deer Industry News

industry news
Powered by velvet.org.nz in world’s top 10
Brazil’s north-eastern states of Ceará, Piaui and Maranhão provided an exotic and challenging setting for the Ecomotion
2008 Adventure Racing World Championships last month.
New Zealand deer velvet was once
again helping power the elite with
the DINZ-sponsored team Powered
by velvet.org.nz maintaining their
spot among the world’s top-ranked
competitors.
Biking made up the biggest
proportion of the 3-day, 529
km course (46.5 percent). The
remainder was divided between
paddling (26.7%), trekking
(20.8%) and sailing (6%).
The Powered by velvet team
was led by Rhys Burns, with
Sonya Clark, Nathan Peterson
and Chris Morrissey. (Peterson,
a multisport specialist,
replaced team regular George
Christison. George was busy
flying the Powered by velvet
flag back home, racing in the
inaugural “Lake to Lighthouse”
multisport race from Lake
Waikaremoana to Wairoa,
where he came second.)
Team member Sonya Clark
is no stranger to deer, or the
velvet that helps her team’s
performance. She grew up
on a deer farm in Lumsden,
Southland, where her father
Tom Clark still runs a
velvetting herd. Sonya spoke
to Deer Industry News
about the team’s latest
foray into international
adventure racing.
She reports that Powered
by velvet finished 10 th
out of 60 teams, in a
typically hard-fought race.
In touch with the leaders
throughout the race, the
team was placed as high
as third during the earlier
stages. A series of three
punctures and a missed
turn on one of the final
legs saw the team slip
back to its tenth spot, but
Sonya says the experience
has been invaluable.
C’mon kiwis! The velvet-powered team trekking
through the sand dunes on one of the early race
stages
Chris Morrisey and Sonya Clark snatch a short sleep
break during the event.
Powered by velvet.org.nz took a hard-fought 10th spot in
the World Championships. From left: Nathan Peterson, Chris
Morrisey, Rhys Burns and Sonya Clark.
“At this top level there is now very little between the
leading teams,” she says. “It only takes a small slip to
cost you placings. When we did lose our bearings it was
heartbreaking, and made worse by swarms of flies that kept
biting us while we figured out where we
were!
“We’ve learned a lot about tactics and our
strengths and weaknesses; we realised
later that a half-hour break would have
set us up better for that section. We know
we’ve got a lot of potential and we’re
confident with our speed. We can foot it
with the best – next time we’ll race a bit
smarter.”
One interesting variation in this race was
the option to go after a bonus point by
paddling an extra 9 km. This gave teams
the right to rest for only four hours rather
than the mandatory eight. Sonya says
they eschewed this opportunity because
they thought it would fit their rest
patterns better, but on reflection they may
been better to go for the shorter rests.
Sonya says the teams were based at the
Mosquito Blue Hotel in Jericoacoara,
on the coast, racing back towards the
resort from the North, starting with a 13
km trek through the sand dunes. “There
was less racing on foot than we were
expecting. There was a headwind all the
way back, and when we were paddling it
was always upstream or against the tide!”
As expected the tropical heat was a
challenge, with temperatures of up to 46
degrees. “We’d each take out six litres of
water, and come back with nothing! As
long as you kept sweating you were OK.”
The first paddle was in the sea at night.
Rough conditions and strong tides meant
it took an hour and a half to get just
four kilometres. But there was an upside.
“There was lovely phosphorescence
in the water at night – quite romantic
really. I don’t think anyone else noticed it
though!”
They appreciated some good “meaty”
sections, including a 12-13 hour stage
up a river with very little water, which
involved as much bush bashing as
paddling.
Sonya says the sailing section of the race
was eventually canned, as they were in
the hands of local fishermen who sailed
the boats. “Some teams just about sailed
back to New Zealand! It was totally
out of our control, and we couldn’t communicate with the
fishermen – one team had to pay their man to sail faster!”
Unlike the recent Wulong race, when team members were
struck down with illness, everyone stayed in good shape
24
Deer Industry News

industry news
for this race. The only mishap was a lost big toenail and bruised toes for Nathan
Peterson.
Sonya is in no doubt the deer velvet regime followed by all of the team members
continues to boost their recovery times and help them through adversity. “In
Wulong, even when the guys were feeling ill, they managed to keep racing strongly
and we’re sure the velvet plays a part in that.”
She says adventure racing is in good heart with a lot of good teams at the top.
The title was won this year by another New Zealand team (Orionhealth.com). The
highly fancied Nike team which came second also had two kiwi team members.
Powered by velvet.org.nz is very keen to build on their recent success. They hope
to enter the next race in the ARC series in New Zealand early next year as a team,
while Sonya, Nathan and George raced in Abu Dhabi in separate teams earlier this
month.
“We’d like to say a special thanks to our sponsors and our fantastic support crew:
my father Tom, and Tristan, Manu, Anne and Phill. We hope to race in China again
next year and we would love to enter the 2009 World Championships in Portugal!”
• While Powered by velvet was just out of the top placings in Brazil, team
member Sonya Clark has good reason to remember this year’s event. Partner
Tristan – a member of the support crew – popped the question at the end of
the race and they’ve became engaged. Deer Industry New Zealand wishes the
happy couple all the best for the future.
Wildplaza promotes game
meats know-how
“AZTEC” Pure Woburn at 4 years.
38pts, SCI. 427 4 /8.
Deer Industry New Zealand has recently joined a Dutch organisation aimed
at increasing consumer acceptance of Game. Wildplaza is a grouping of
Dutch and Belgian companies which handle game meats. These include
wild venison, hare, pheasant and wild boar, but many of the companies
also import or buy New Zealand venison for their customers. The
organisation intends to be the source of information on game meats for
consumers and the press in the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands,
Luxembourg). It is beneficial to have a direct involvement to ensure that
New Zealand venison is well represented and clearly differentiated from
European wild venison. Alongside the website, Wildplaza has issued press
releases to the food and consumer media about the safety standards and
the healthy profile of game meats. Further consumer promotion activities
are planned.
www.wildplaza.com
Tuesday 6th January
11.30am
4pm
Warnham
&Woburn
LEADING the
Wednesday INDUSTRY 7th January
with Outstanding VELVET
11amWeights & Breeding
Record Trophy Stags.
Enquiries to: John & Paula Kempthorne
KOROMATUA ROAD, RD 10
HAMILTON.
PH: 07 847 4809 • FAX: 07 846 1984
MOBILE: 0274 958 987
e.mail: info@windermere-deer.com
website: www.windermere-deer.com
2.30pm
4.30pm
11.00am
2.30pm
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
S T A G
SALES
Thursday 8th January
WITH
SARNIA DEER
W A I K A T O
“HUDSON” Pure
Massive Velve
R O T O R U A
Issue No 33 • December 2008 25

industry news
Shawn McLean:
Latest Chef Ambassador to endorse Cervena® in United States
Another US chef has taken up the call to endorse Cervena to fellow chefs in North America.
Multi-award wining chef Shawn McLean has agreed to assist New Zealand promote Cervena in
the coming year. Shawn is a fan of all things New Zealand. He visited here in 2006 and toured
a deer farm in the South Island at the invitation of Deer Industry New Zealand.
Shawn operates three restaurants in Chicago. Spring, a seafood restaurant, opened in 2001
to immediate national acclaim. That year, Spring was nominated for the James Beard
Foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” award, and Shawn was named by Esquire magazine as
“Chef of the Year”. In 2002, he appeared in “40 Under 40”, Crain’s Chicago Business’ highly
competitive list of who’s who in the city. This was followed by a vegetarian restaurant the
Green Zebra in 2004 and, in 2005, Custom House was opened. This modern interpretation of
the classic steakhouse focuses on artisan meats, which include regular appearances of Cervena
on his menus.
“I was blown away by our visit to a deer farm near Wanaka when I visited New Zealand,”
Shawn says. “I had no idea that deer are raised in such a natural environment. It’s no wonder
the meat tastes so good. I’ve been using produce from New Zealand in my restaurants for a
few years, and Cervena venison is a perfect fit for my steakhouse menu.”
He joins other chefs Brad Farmerie (New York), Todd Grey (Washington DC), 2008 Cervena
Plates winner Peter Pack (Napa Valley) and Chris Thompson (Houston) as well-known chefs
using and endorsing Cervena. Given Shawn’s high profile in some parts of the United States,
DINZ will be featuring him in advertising in food service magazines over the coming year.
INGOR DEER FARM
RED DEER STUD
19th ANNUAL SIRE STAG SALE
TO BE HELD ON THE PROPERTY WAIMATUA, SOUTHLAND ON
THURSDAY 15th JANUARY 2009 COMMENCING AT 6pm
We have selected our best three year old sires of PROVEN genetics for sale. The offering will consist of Bloodlines of Pure
WOBURN, WARNHAM, HUNGARIAN, GERMAN and FURZELAND. In the past we have offered and sold 2 year stags
that have cut up to 6.0 kg SA Grade velvet at 2 years, cut at the correct time (not overgrown).
The Auction will include PURE BRED sons of:
STEIN-GOR German, 8.1kg SA2 velvet at 9 years
WILLIE German/Warnham. 8.6kg SA2 velvet at 7 years
HENSHAW Furzeland, 14.8kg antler at 7 years
KAIZA German, 7.0kg SA2 velvet at 9 years
GREEN 112 Red Barron Son Dam Furzeland/Woburn 5.40kg
SA2 velvet at 6 years
GREEN 402 Romulus Son/Dam Red Barron daughter 6.5kg SA2
velvet at 6 years
Red 34 Chancellor Peel Son, Dam German/Woburn. Grown
out 2007
Stags delivered Otago and Southland FREE.
SPECIAL
ENTRIES
200 RED YEARLING HINDS
(Capital Stock)
For sale due to change in
farming practices
4% Overriding commission to all non
participating companies or agents
Ingor Deer Farm is QA accredited and TB accredited (C10) No. R96046. Catalogues available mid December.
Please direct all enquires to – Allan Wilson: Waimatua No.11 RD, Invercargill.
Phone/Fax: 03-216 7999, Mobile: 0274-748 901, Email: ingor@xtra.co.nz
Brian Duggan: Phone: 03-211 3130, Mobile: 0274-324 212
Issue No 33 • December 2008 31

industry news
Farmers’ markets in New Zealand
The growing interest in locally sourced food is being matched by strong growth in interest in farmers’ markets around
New Zealand.
According to the Healthy
Food Guide, there are
now close to 30 weekly
farmers’ markets from
the Bay of Islands to
Invercargill, selling all
manner of locally grown
produce, from papaya to
swedes. Included in the
mix at many of these
markets are venison and
venison smallgoods.
Some writers have
been making fairly
extravagant claims about
the benefits of farmers’
markets, crediting them
among other things with
greater environmental
friendliness, fresher
products and a lower
carbon footprint than
conventional food
buying. None of these
assertions is based on
any fact, and in many
Standing behind his product: Thornton Peck sells venison smallgoods from the Basecamp range at his stall
at the weekly Waitangi Park farmers’ market in the heart of Wellington. Basecamp, located in Katikati, was
established in 1992 by Bill Hensley. The company’s venison salamis are sold at markets throughout
New Zealand.
cases are likely to be wrong. The trend does indicate the
positive association that farmers’ markets evoke among more
idealistic consumers, however.
Some farmers have chosen to forgo the more established
method of getting their venison to market, and have instead
undertaken the marketing of it themselves. Attendance at
farmers’ markets provides a visible presence for venison to
the more inquisitive consumers who frequent these events.
It also provides a direct interface between consumers and
the farmers who grow the deer. As consumers seek more
information about the provenance of their food, this direct
communication provides a level of reassurance about where
food comes from, how it is raised, and who (literally) is
standing behind it.
Of course farmers’ markets are only one sales channel
for venison in New Zealand. The volume sold through
supermarkets by local marketing companies, and to
restaurants via wholesalers, is much higher than volumes
sold at farmers’ markets. Supermarket sales of venison have
been boosted in recent years by point-of-sale promotion,
instore tastings and regional television advertising.
While it’s nice to see another outlet for New Zealand
venison, DINZ does not provide financial assistance to
individual companies for attending farmers’ markets.
Individual companies choose how they sell their deer and
DINZ does not consider it appropriate to subsidise this form
of distribution, as it does not subsidise other methods such
as distribution through supermarkets or selling via websites.
Where there is a non-commercial, industry-good element,
however, DINZ does support sellers of New Zealand venison
to promote the attributes of the product.
32
Deer Industry News

industry news
MARKET TALK
BOGO F&D Ltd
Innovative, professional and energetic would be the perfect way to describe the successful entry into the velvet market
by BOGO F&D Ltd. The company was also very methodical in its launch, identifying the youth market (children to young
adults) as its key audience.
Since its launch in April 2008, BOGO
has sold considerable volumes of its
innovative product, a drink aptly named
Chongmyeongbo – aptly named because
Chongmyeongbo is based on the oriental
medicine prescription, “Chongmyeongtang”.
This is prescribed for brightening
the ear and eye (improving hearing and
sight). Chongmyeong is synonymous
with wisdom and brightness.
In April this year, DINZ CEO, Mark
O’Connor and Velvet Marketing Services
Manager, Rhys Griffiths met BOGO’s
Deputy General Manager, Mr Kang who
explained how their process for choosing
a good, consistent quality source of velvet
led them to New Zealand. Having a large
pharmaceutical organisation (Daewoong)
as its parent company gives BOGO the
means for research and development
into novel delivery systems. Daewoong is
Korea’s largest manufacturer of the spout
pouch, or cher pack.
BOGO has developed and patented a
technique that uses enzymes to break
down the antler and enable a greater
uptake of nutrients from the antler.
The product is designed to target
the growth and health of children,
teenagers and “examinees” (students
studying hard). A key focus is packing a
whopping 1 gram (1,000 mg) into each
pouch while still making it pleasant
to drink. BOGO highlights three key
benefits for the product:
• produced by Daewoong, a wellknown
and respected
Korean pharmaceutical company
• no harmful materials such as
antiseptic, caffeine and colouring
• produced under strict hygiene
conditions in modern facilities.
The novel pouches are enjoyed by young
people as they keep the drink cool and
can even be frozen to form “slushies”
during the hottest part of summer.
Chongmyeongbo is marketed to children
when they:
• need balanced nutrients for growth
and development
• are exhausted from too much study
• are weak due to
an unbalanced
diet
• have low energy
due to excessive
study although
they have no
health problems.
given away to potential customers to
try. The response was great, lifting sales
during the third quarter by 40 percent
over the previous quarter. The strategy
included targeting the consumer through
pharmacies and mall displays.
“We are very excited about New Zealand
Deer Velvet and want to continue to
extend our business [range],” says Mr
Kang. Since April, BOGO has launched
another three New Zealand velvet-based
products with more on the horizon.
Deer Industry New Zealand has
contributed, albeit in a small way,
to the Chuseok campaign. “It’s great
dealing with BOGO,” says DINZ Velvet
Marketing Services Manager, Rhys
Griffiths. “They are not only energetic
professionals; they are also very focused
on their goals. Their plans are well
mapped out and they have the backing
of a major pharmaceutical company.”
Mr. Kang, Deputy General
Manager, BOGO F&D Ltd.
In September, BOGO
embarked on its
biggest campaign
with Chongmyeongbo
to date. Targeting
Chuseok (Korean
Thanksgiving Day),
BOGO created 5,000
posters, 5,000 leaflets,
500 point-of-sale
units, newspaper
advertising and 15,000
sample packs to be
Posters, brochures and sample packs were part of the massive effort
that went into the Chuseok campaign.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 33

Market Report
Velvet
As the world’s financial crisis intensifies, major economies are experiencing a strengthening of their currencies through
the repatriation of funds. Though velvet sales to date are still relatively slow, some key importers are hoping that
consumption of velvet will remain similar to last year. After a long process with a lot of hard work by all involved, it was
good to see the first shipment of sliced, branded New Zealand velvet exported to Korea.
Currency
Over the past year, the Euro has
strengthened around 20%, USD by
nearer 30%, Chinese RMB by 34%
and Japanese Yen by almost 36%
against the New Zealand dollar (NZD).
During this time, however, the Korean
Won has weakened against the NZD
by 16.5%. This indicates the state of
our main market’s economy.
900
850
800
Korean Won to New Zealand Dollar: 24 Nov 2007 to 24 Nov 2008
Korea
750
• With the huge volatility in the
currency and the weak world
economic situation, importers have
been slow to commit to larger
700
velvet volumes to date. Reports
from other industries such as wine
and green-lipped mussels show
a similar stagnation in Korea,
650
although some importers are
relatively positive that demand for
velvet by consumers may hold firm.
• After many months and hard work by various organisations,
the inaugural shipment of sliced velvet from New Zealand
to Korea took place. The consignment went through the
customs channels smoothly. This new product form offers
excellent potential for the industry to add value in New
Zealand. Key benefits for Korean buyers may include tamperevident
packaging ensuring product authenticity, good
traceability systems and security in the knowledge that the
entire consignment has undergone New Zealand’s strict QA
programmes.
• The second round of preparatory talks between New
Zealand and Korean government officials on the potential
Free Trade Agreement occurred late in November. The talks
are designed to set boundaries for the FTA negotiations
scheduled to begin early in 2009. Deer Industry New
Zealand’s Executive met with with chief negotiator Alison
Mann, who wanted to hear about the deer industry’s
interests.
• The Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) joint promotional
campaign, which DINZ assisted with, met sales expectations
(see Market Talk on page 33). Sales for BOGO F&D Ltd
continued to grow significantly over the previous quarter.
Since the campaign to market the velvet-enriched drink
Chongmyeongbo, sales growth has been steady, though
the company is uncertain about future targets due to the
economic crisis and anticipates growth may slow in the short
term.
• Plans for the velvet as a vitality food promotion to be held
at the Seoul Millennium Hilton (SMH) were finalised. The
month-long promotion kicked off on 1 December and will
be a focus of the hotel during this period. Promotional
material includes:
– Banners leading to the entrance of the hotel
– Other banner displays set up throughout the hotel
11/24/2007 12/13/2007 1/01/08 01/20/2008 2/08/08 02/27/2008 03/17/2008 4/05/08 04/24/2008 05/13/2008 6/01/08 06/20/2008 7/09/08 07/28/2008 08/16/2008 9/04/08 09/23/2008 10/12/08 10/31/2008 11/19/2008
– Electronic newsletters and website promotion
– Postcard Direct Mail to their database of over 20,000
– General print media advertising.
• The Executive also met with a major food processor to
progress consideration of a product as a next step from
the three year Seoul Hilton promotion. The idea is to
see if it is achievable to turn velvet into a healthy food
product represented on supermarket shelves in Korea (as
with Ginseng). This avenue is at its early stages, with a lot
more work needing to be done before any product can be
commercially realised.
China
• China continues to grow in importance and exports over
the rolling 12 months to the end of September show that
sales into China increased from NZD$3m to $10.5m over the
previous year. This lifted China’s share of New Zealand velvet
(value) to 40% versus Korea’s 52% (down from 67% the
previous year). It is important to note that this velvet is often
re-exported to South Korea.
• Delegates from a large deer-focused province in Northern
China, Heilongjiang, are planning to visit early next year
providing an opportunity for more communication between
the industries. Interactions between New Zealand’s deer
industry and possible relationships with similar industries
in China are aimed at seeking ways to stimulate a lift in
domestic consumption. Another such area is Xifeng (in
Liaoning Province), a county populated with around 350,000
people and a significant focus on deer products.
• Feedback from two further processed marketing companies
in China (pet nutraceuticals and human supplements) on
ongoing joint promotional campaigns is positive:
– The pet marketer reports strong, steady growth in the
Asian market. They have also successfully acquired new
products to strengthen their range.
34
Deer Industry News

Market Report
Venison
Schedule
In week 49 (week beginning 1 December) the average
published schedule for AP 50-60kg stags was $8.90. The
schedule is 35% higher than the same week last year, and
almost double the average of the preceding 5 years. The
reported average schedule stayed above $9.00 for 13 weeks,
peaking at $9.60 in week 44. The schedule is the highest ever
for week 49.
Production
In the 12 months ending September 2008, 605,506 deer were
processed. This was 1% less than the 12 months to September
2007, providing 32,000 tonnes of venison (carcass weight
equivalent). More tellingly, production in the last quarter of
this period (July, August, September) was 30% less than the
equivalent period in 2007. DINZ understands that while plants
are running to capacity in December, forward bookings for
autumn processing space are low.
DINZ has done its budget for
2008/9 based on an estimate
$10.00
of 450,000 deer slaughtered,
$9.00
25% down on 2007/8.
Exports: Season
ending September
2008
Total venison exports for
2007/8 were worth just over
$300 million, at an average
value of $14,400 per tonne.
In 2000/01, the total value
of exports was $249.4
million at $13,557 per tonne.
Europe, which imported
19,450 tonnes, increased
in importance from 89% of
exports in 2006/7 to 93%
in 2007/8. The only non-EU
markets in the top ten are
Switzerland and the United
States, which both recorded
small increases in volume.
‘Other’ markets have seen the
biggest decrease. Germany
clearly remains New Zealand’s
No. 1 market, with direct
$/kg
$8.00
$7.00
$6.00
$5.00
$4.00
$3.00
$2.00
$1.00
$-
Venison exports: Top ten destinations (by volume) 12 months ending September
Tonnes Total NZ$ F.O.B. NZ$/Kg
2007 share 2008 share 2007 2008 2007 2008 change
Germany 8,729 41% 7,981 38% $82.6m $109.7m $9.46 $ 13.75 45%
Belgium 2,386 11% 2,628 13% $33.5m $47.8m $4.03 $ 18.18 30%
Sweden 1,786 8% 2,001 10% $12.2m $18.0m $6.83 $8.99 32%
France 1,698 8% 1,716 8% $18.7m $23.8m $11.03 $13.86 26%
Austria 891 4% 1,102 5% $6.6m $11.7m $7.43 $10.64 43%
United States 1,014 5% 1,017 5% $15.1m $16.3m $14.92 $16.06 8%
Netherlands 621 3% 985 5% $10.3m $20.8m $16.53 $21.15 28%
Switzerland 962 5% 977 5% $13.6m $20.0m $14.13 $20.44 45%
Italy 555 3% 800 4% $4.6m $8.3m $8.21 $10.38 26%
United Kingdom 446 2% 764 4% $6.1m $9.3m $13.63 $12.19 –11%
Others 2,070 10% 965 5% $17.8m $15.6m $8.61 $16.17 88%
Total 21,158 100% 20,935 100% $221.1m $301.4m $ 10.45 $ 14.40 38%
Source: Statistics New Zealand
exports accounting for 38% of volume and 36% of value.
Belgium and The Netherlands combined increased the most, to
account for 23% of exports by value. While importers in these
markets have worked hard to increase sales of chilled venison
through retail, and increase out-of-season consumption, this
increase in value also reflects the increased volume of chilled
product imported by local firms for distribution to the rest of
Europe.
Market conditions
The higher prices importers paid for New Zealand venison
through 2008 are causing some concern as sales through
restaurants and hotels ease off due to the current economic
difficulties in European markets. Restaurant sales are reported
to have dropped as consumers seek to save money and
business expense accounts are trimmed. With increasing
unemployment, reduced business confidence and falling house
values in most Europe and North America, pressure has come
Average Published 55-60KG AP Stag schedule
2005
2006
2007
2008
Av 01 - 07
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51
week
on higher-priced proteins
as shoppers seek the value
option. The positive side is that
retailers report solid turnover
of chilled venison, indicating
that consumers might forgo a
meal out, but replace it with a
special meal at home.
Promotion
New Zealand venison has been
promoted in 20 cities over the
past month, with another 5
local promotions planned for
December. Web advertising
has been purchased on widely
used German language sites
to provide information for
consumers and indicate where
venison is available. Because
the volumes they have received
in chilled form have been
lower than in previous years,
importers have not felt the
need to push its availability to
consumers and so have been
less keen to promote New
Zealand venison this year.
– The human supplement marketer reports success after
capitalising on New Zealand’s Powered by Velvet Wulong
Mountain Quest Challenge in September. They report good
distributor growth following the launch of their athletes’
range at the event and increased sales through their new
website platform and mail-order partnerships.
• These organisations met each other for the first time in
October, with an opportunity for the marketing managers
to discuss ways to work together to promote New Zealand
deer products. Both organisations have complementary, noncompeting
skills to help each other overcome obstacles and
maximise opportunities. They intend to keep up contact.
New Zealand
• DINZ continues to work with stakeholders to develop
brochures and sales collateral for the pet industry. It is aiming
to have material ready for a significant veterinary conference
in Florida in January, which will be attended by New Zealand
stakeholders. The idea behind the new brochure material
is to strengthen New Zealand velvet’s credibility amoung
veterinarians. “Made by nature, supported by science” is the
slogan accompanying the new position and highlights work
showing velvet efficacy in companion animals. Work to update
the technical manual has begun and will complement the new
supportive collateral.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 35

stagline supplement
NZDFA velvet and hard antler competitions review
Following the 2007 competitions round, and discussion conducted through Stagline-online, a forum of interested Branch
Chairmen and competition leaders was held during the 2008 NZDFA conference to address current concerns about the
way velvet and hard antler is judged.
Issues identified at the time were:
Velvet antler
• Dealing with non-typical heads, (super heavyweight,
unusual styles, degree of damage, overgrown,
commercial values and grading)
• Consistency or individuality of competitions
• Standardised judging criteria (weight points calculation).
Hard antler
• Scoring systems, consistency of hard antler scoring
systems, the so called “modified SCI score, judges’
experience, and ongoing accuracy of publicity.
Discussion and outcomes
Velvet antler competitions
The meeting confirmed leading competitions used a
consistent or near-consistent approach to judging, scoring
criteria and score and result calculation sheets, had good
links either nationally or intra island, or allowed other
Branches to offer entries.
Well-supported local but less formal competitions allowed
judging by experienced and/or respected industry personnel,
and may adopt a different approach.
• It was agreed that the current set of rules and Agreed
Industry Grading Guidelines (2008), while reviewable,
served the primary purposes for velvet antler judging.
• The rules for judging should specify these standards and
be a binding document so that competitors, committees
and judges have a clear point of reference.
• For the major Branch and large competitions, these rules
should be clearly set out in association with an entry
form.
Judging points
There will be no change to the current scoring criteria and
emphasis. Judging will continue to use the current system
of adding fault points from a base zero for the perfect head.
The multiplier for weight remains as a factor of 7.5 for Red
deer heads and 5.0 for Elk/Wapiti Supreme and the beam
factor remains 2.5. The emphasis on objective measurements
(~35%, and beam circumference ~15%) remains. Velvet
quality (~30%) and style (20%) remain. In addition, 10
judge’s discretionary points (the WOW factor), remain).
• It was agreed that for some atypical outlier heads,
judges could consider additional penalty points in
discussion with the velvet competition chair. In
such rare cases, that move would be initiated by the
combined judging panel.
Nationally: “Big Three” competitions – acceptance of
entries
The workshop confirmed that the committee was the
appropriate body to accept or reject any competition velvet,
but judges could comment and ask for further discussion if
damage or grading issues arose. The competition organisers
would remain the final arbiter of entry acceptance.
• Four major areas of disqualification or non acceptance
are recognised:
– Not frozen (applies to thawed velvet from
transportation, but mostly to fresh cut velvet)
– Damaged as defined in the current Industry-Agreed
Velvet grading Guidelines.
– Malformation: Both as defined in the guidelines and
at committee discretion within established rules
– Overgrown (as defined in industry guidelines as the
OG grade).
• While not universally accepted, it was agreed that for
damaged velvet there should be no compromise or
tolerance of damage at the three major nationally based
competitions. Such heads should not be displayed with
competition velvet.
– The group accepted that genetic merit and damage
are not necessarily correlated and opportunity to
additionally penalise such velvet exists with judge’s
discretion
– Heads such as these could be displayed and
highlighted at Branch competition level
– Commercial industry grading expertise should be
sought.
The NZDFA, on behalf of the national competition and others
who wanted to subscribe to these standards, will register
competition rules setting a standard for acceptance or nonacceptance
by the competition committee around the current
Guidelines following use in the 2008 competition round.
• It was proposed, (for further discussion), that this group
could develop competition guidelines that catered for
extreme non-typical SA heads in addition to the SAP and
SAT heads.
– A separate SAP/SAT class and a separate SA at the
national or NI competitions will be held as these are
clearly defined in the grading charts.
– The winning heads in each class be considered for
Champion/Reserve champion.
– The Trophy/Super heavyweight all comers class as
defined in the Waikato-run national event is supported
as a unique competition class.
Malformation
• It was agreed the malformation description was clear
enough in the rules and could be dealt with case by
case in each competition.
• It was confirmed that for the national competition, the
current definition of malformed velvet would be adhered
to and such entries continue to be disqualified and not
displayed. Most agreed that this should be the standard
for all major competitions.
Heavy/non-standard heads
Judges can work with competition organising committees on
the question of heavy/non-standard heads as follows:
• Competition organising committee to consider style of
head, and if it does not conform to style requirements, it
is not presented for judging.
38
Deer Industry News

stagline supplement
• Judges in consultation with organising committee can
create a significant penalty to relegate the significance of
weight in considerations.
• Committee could change the weight calculation in the
standard judging criteria.
Commercial value
• There was strong opposition to velvet commercial value
having any sort of dominance in scores for individual
antler competitions. The established commercial
competitions catered well for that class.
Grading guidelines Definition/descriptor
Damaged SA and A Dam 1: Repairable skin damage: Broken bottom tynes
Dam 2: Non-reparable skin damage. Broken beam or trez tyne
Malformed
a) Antler in SA, A, B etc grades must be of good conformation, i.e. with a
trez tyne and all the tynes and beam in proportion
b) without a trez tine is to be reduced one grade
c) may be down graded for excessive length regardless of time of cutting
d) is subject to grader discretion based on the principle of separating lateand
well-cut velvet
Overgrown 1
SA and A grade which exceeds maximum top length
SALT and ALT which is indented
SA, AS and AM grade velvet which begins to indent within the maximum
top length may not be graded OG
Hard antler
Following the passage of the SCNO 2008 AGM Remit calling
for standardisation of scoring and reporting of hard antler, a
new series of hard antler scoring sheets has been developed
for Red, Elk/Wapiti typical and non-typical and Fallow deer
heads for competition. (Thanks to Hub Hall, Andrew Mitchell
and Natalie Fraser.)
The NZDFA competition score is still based on modified SCI
(i.e. in inches) and scoring process, but the measurements
in competition for Red and Fallow deer span and burr will
be excluded. Elk/Wapiti antlers will include four beam
circumference measurements. Discussions with EWSNZ
continue as to whether the calculated span (Combined
length of main antler beam measurements divided by 2.48
as developed by NAEBA) is included. If so, that will be
known as the EWSNZ score. Score totals will be expressed as
“inches of antler”.
• In 2003 there was a formal request from the NZ SCI
chapter (Via Gary Joll) to NZDFA (notified to the
stud industry at that time), asking that in relation to
advertising:
– there was moderation in the use of the term “SCI
scores”
– at the very least the scores be termed “modified SCI”
– a date and Measurer’s name be publicised
– the Measurer be qualified.
The meeting also agreed that for competition:
• Hard antler that was required to be frozen in order
to stop spoilage (or remain nicer to be near) was in
fact strictly hard velvet and should not be eligible for
competition (event had been hand stripped).
• Previous “scores”, weights, etc at time of cutting were
not relevant to competition at the time and were not
to be promoted at competition. (There will be further
clarification on this point in future issues.)
Gloriavale Deer Park • Littledale Deer Park
“Don’t Miss Out !!”
THE SALE OF THE YEAR!
Two Mystery Stags to give away
ABSOLUTELY FREE!
2 pre-determined stags will be given away
ABSOLUTELY FREE to the Highest
Bidder on that stag. The lucky winners
will be announced at the end of the sale.
ELITE SIRE STAG SALE
Kingston: 6yrs, 17.2 kg HA dried, 535 7 /8 SCI, 70”outer span
Stag Sale
Tuesday 13th
January 2009
12:00 noon
Insignis Park,
Christchurch
Affordable Prices
All lots must go!
• Offering approx 70 stags and 20 yearling
hinds bred from the country’s leading sires
• Early BBQ lunch & drinks provided
before sale at 11:00 am
• All deer pre-sale Johnes tested free
Legend: 4 yrs, 510 2 / 8 SCI, 12.1 kg HA dried
Featuring sons of
AUSTIN • TITAN
HOTSHOT • TAMAR
KINGSTON • KANE
MOTSUMI • MCLEOD
THOMAS ALBERT
MAJOR PEEL
JAMIESON
Gloriavale Deer Park
Jonathan Christian:
Ph: 03 738 0224 Fax: 03 738 0212
Gloriavale Deer Park, Private Bag 611
Greymouth 7840 Email: deerfarm@gloriavale.co.nz
or your local PGG/Wrightson Agents
Littledale
Deer Park
Breeders of leading English Red Deer
Mike Dempsey:
Mobile: 027 351 0879
Ph: 03 318 6560 Fax: 03 318 6501
Downs Road Glenroy Rd 2 Darfield
Email: demps@farmside.co.nz
Issue No 33 • December 2008 39

stagline supplement
Making the DIFFerence
Focus Farm and productivity group conference 2008
The rapidly growing and successful DINZ-funded Focus Farm programme had a major boost in October when all those
involved – focus farmers, community group chairmen, facilitators, the productivity working group and AgResearch,
Massey and Otago University researchers – met at Invermay for a two-day conference.
It was the first-ever national gettogether
for those involved in Focus
Farms. The gathering created an
opportunity for participants to get
better acquainted and discuss common
challenges, success stories and
regional issues.
While properties and management
systems vary greatly between Focus
Farms in the different regions, there
are common features of interest to
all deer farmers. These practical
constraints to productivity will be
addressed by the community groups,
aided by targeted expertise.
Common animal health concerns
across all regions included:
• establishing a Johne’s disease
(JD) status
• understanding and managing the
impact of parasitism
• drench programmes
• risk of drench resistance.
Better tools, better monitoring and
better decision support were key issues for the next two years.
The conference called for further cost benefit work on
testing and cull programmes for all diseases, especially JD.
AgResearch is developing that tool for use within the Focus
Farms.
Reproduction and genetic improvement were also dominant
themes. Concerns included the wide range of scanning
results and the even wider spread in weaning percentages.
Variables that need more investigation included:
• spiker mating success
• single sire or multi-sire mating across a wide range of
ratios
• stag age
• stag breed and strain type
• general performance of stags.
The group also focused on the cost of getting hinds in calf,
emphasising wastage, the cost to systems of late calves and
retaining empty hinds – all key constraints to understanding
and improving productivity.
The contrast between 2-year-old and mixed aged hind
performance also remains an issue for further review
including the option of incorporating empty R2 hinds into a
venison supply system.
There is also a keen interest in developing programmes
on Focus Farms comparing AI and natural breeding (High
EBV stags vs. semen collection and use) and demonstrating
the value of targeted genetics to achieve better venison
Participants on the conference field day to view Grant and Andrea Cochrane’s Totara Hills
farm. This property has recently completed its three-year Focus Farm programme.
production within the seasonal and management constraints
of each farm.
The group travelled to the Cochrane family’s Otago Focus
Farm, Totara Hills as field day to review the progress there
over three years. Here, and on the Southland Focus Farm,
there has been a 10kg lift in weaning weights and a quantum
shift in early venison supply patterns. The following areas
worthy of attention included:
• use of synchrony tools and the impact of concentrated
calving patterns balanced by weather risks, mismothering
and management challenges
• liveweight change profiles and flushing effects in hinds,
especially R2yo
• identification of hinds with poor lactation performance
• role of nutrition at mating (improving and concentrating
conception patterns)
• cost benefit analysis of various breeding choices
• cost benefit analysis of scanning and foetal aging
• role of DNA testing in commercial farming.
“How can we do this better?” was a common theme.
Researchers and DINZ staff were advised that “If you want to
really hear what the farmers are thinking or wanting, hang
around for the venison and beers. That’s where post-field day
discussion really starts!”
There is an increasing public involvement in the projects,
especially via the Sustainable Farming Fund projects. There is
an opportunity to attract sponsorship because of the expertise
involved and the commitment to the Making The DIFFerence
Focus Farms.
40
Deer Industry News

stagline supplement
Field days will also concentrate on
the basic key point(s), relevance to
increasing profits, and awareness
of the costs involved in changing
systems. Recommended systems need
to be up and running on Focus Farm
so that they can be evaluated and
discussed, but Focus Farms are not
laboratories – they are commercial
enterprises.
Lack of time or commitment for
in-depth reading is one challenge
for those communicating the lessons
learned on Focus Farms. Field day
planning should also be focused
around clear, simple and relevant
messages. Three major communication
channels were identified:
• seeing on-farm systems first hand
and discussing them, either at
the field day or follow up
• summary reporting after the field
day (Focus Farm newsletter)
• Print or electronic media: Deer
Industry News, The Deer Farmer,
Country-wide, Stagline-online, etc
Although regional differences will
mean circumstances and management
styles vary between Focus Farms,
there is a strong commitment
to applying the science behind
productivity gains on all farms.
This approach will succeed and
community groups will be more
effective if subgroups responsible
for broad topic areas evolve. It was
suggested that AgResearch could give
specialist advice to each subgroup.
The conference also pledged that there
will be:
• better preparation for field days
• more community group support
• commitment by each region’s
Focus Farm and community
group to quickly establish a fullyear
plan with fixed dates
• local and rural media publicity
following field days
• improved communication with
more emphasis on data, practical
research and other information.
There was considerable value in this
conference. A working paper is now
being prepared to assess feasibility
and support for a combined industry
technical conference, separate from
the annual deer industry conference
held every May.
Tony Pearse
Producer Manager, DINZ
North Island Velvet Competition:
Plenty of life left in the North!
A very successful 2008 PGG Wrightson North Island Velvet Competition was
hosted by the Waikato Branch at Kingsgate Hotel, Hamilton, on Saturday
29 November.
In a season that looked like we might
struggle for entries it was a fantastic
display with a great turnout to the
dinner. The challenge was to get at
least one entry from every Branch,
and with 62 entries from 11 out of
the 14 North Island Branches, we did
well.
A late cutting season in most regions
saw the 3 year Red and Wapiti section
a bit lighter this year, and we had our
usual challenge of grading those extra
big heads using the current guidelines.
The North Island Committee decided
not to introduce the new non-typical
class this year and look forward to
feedback from the Nationals.
Tower Farms’ entry (Ideal Neil @ 7 years – 9.43kgs –
32.55pts) cleaned up three awards: Winner Champion
Red, Champion of Champions and People’s Choice.
“The display of velvet was impressive
and the enthusiasm from those
who attended and supported the
competition was really encouraging,”
said retiring competition committee
Chairman, Bob Atkinson.
The committee would like to formally
thank Bob for his passion and
leadership for this competition in
the last four years as Chairman and
for his 15 plus years he has run the
Waikato competition. His experience,
leadership and financial support has
been a vital part of the success of the
competition.
On behalf of our major sponsor PGG
Wrightson, Tony Cochrane commented
that even in the current climate for
selling velvet, the enthusiasm and
persistence to produce a high-quality
product remains solid.
“The weights per age group continue
to lift the bar annually.”
“PGG Wrightson is grateful for the
opportunity to be principal sponsor
and thanks the organising committee
for their efforts to maintain an
important event that gives producers
individual representation of their
herds and regions. I look forward to
seeing North Island velvet competing
well in the deep South at the national
competition on 10 December,” Tony
said.
Thanks to PGG Wrightson for their
continued support of the
competition, to our class
sponsors, and supporting
sponsors and to the following
NZDFA Branches for their
contribution: Coastal, Taihape,
Central Regions, Kaipara,
Rotorua, Waipa and Poverty
Bay. And thanks to all
Branches for their valuable
feedback on how we can
make the 2009 competition
reach more farmers. Thank
you to The Elk and Wapiti
society for their input and
continued support.
As the focus changes from
velvet to venison, feedback
from the Branches has highlighted
an interest in a venison class in next
year’s competition. The committee
look forward to working with Duncan
& Co and the Rotorua and Waikato
organisers of the successful Branch
Challenge Venison competition to
bring venison growers an exciting
new class in the 2009 North Island
competition.
The Central Regions Branch is
looking forward to hosting the 2009
competition and hopes to see some
new faces on the committee and
among competitors.
• Results brochures for the North
Island Velvet Competition and
National Competition are included
with this issue as inserts.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 41

stagline supplement
Venison added to menu for local derby
As with most North Island Branches, the majority of Rotorua Branch members focus on venison, and it’s a struggle to get
support for the traditional velvet competition. This year we added a venison class to our social velvet competition and
Christmas party to see if we could spark a bit of interest. Well it seems we have started a bit of a bushfire!
After one phone call to Duncan & Co
Rep and Waikato member, Bob Dunn,
the idea took off. The competition
became a head-to-head challenge
between Rotorua and Waikato to see
who could produce the best line of 10
yearlings.
We worked with Dave Smith and his
team from Duncan & Co and came
up with the outline and with only a
few weeks’ notice Rotorua had 6 and
Waikato 12 entries for the big challenge.
Our aim for the competition was to
create something new and get some
detailed feedback on carcass quality
back to farmers.
Two days were set aside for processing
the competition entries and all entries
were delivered the day before. Each
entry line of 10 yearlings could be
mixed sex and there was no minimum
weight.
Dave and Shelly from Duncan & Co
judged on the following criteria:
• Presentation at the plant
This includes, visual assessment, velvet compliance,
cleanliness, evenness of the line, correct tagging, correct
paperwork and any issues found during pre-slaughter
veterinary inspection.
• Carcass conformation
Carcasses were judged on weight, GR measurement,
conformation scoring of legs, loins and fore quarter.
Deductions were made for damage to any primal
muscle, defects found by the meat inspector at carcass
inspection or any carcass blemishes.
Scoring was weighted towards carcass conformation. Each
carcass had a possible score of 18 points (15 points available
in the conformation category).
42
Scoring was
weighted
towards carcass
conformation.
Presentation of the Duncan & Co Shield to the Rotorua winners.
From left: Stu Fuller and Steve Hewson, Pukeha Farms and Dave
Smith, Duncan & Co.
There were 18 entries for the 2008 competition, each
supplying a line of 10 deer yearlings. Dave Smith from
Duncan & Co said overall the standard of carcasses presented
was good and all competitors should be congratulated.
There was no minimum weight for the entries but the target
weights were 50 to 60 kg and target GR was 4 to 8 mm,
reflecting market preferences. The conformation grading of
the three cut categories recognise good muscle definition and
the value this adds to the primal cuts.
All entries were killed over the two days prior to a BBQ lunch
and viewing on Friday 21 November, hosted at the plant by
Duncan & Co. The judging was explained and a sample of
carcasses viewed. More than 30 people came to the plant and
Trevor demonstrated boning out a carcass, which gave some
of the hunters a few new tips.
As the line scores below show, the winning line was clearly
in front, but you could have thrown a blanket over the next
four. The overall winner and the Waikato Branch winners
were announced at the North Island Velvet Awards Dinner on
Saturday 29 November.
LINE SCORES (from a possible 180)
1st 177 Rotorua – Pukeha Farms
2nd 167 Waikato – Peter McGlashan
3rd 166 Rotorua – Love Red Deer
4th 165 Rotorua – L H Moore
5th 164 Waikato – Viv & Jane Parker
“Our line up included two Wapiti cross hinds and eight pure
Red stags,” explains Steve Hewson from Pukeha Farms. “Our
Wapiti sire stags come from Clover Farms and our Red sire
stags from Love Red Deer. The yearlings were fed on grass
with a winter crop of swedes and turnips. The competition is
a good concept; we really enjoyed selecting our entry.”
A detailed score sheet will be supplied to every competitor.
With the presentation of the very cool Duncan & Co Shield at
the North Island Velvet Competition and the challenge being
set for a repeat showdown between Waikato and Rotorua,
interest in the concept has quickly grown.
Feedback from Branches about supporting the North Island
Velvet Competition has prompted the committee to start
discussions with Duncan & Co to work out how to offer the
venison challenge to all North Island Branches and introduce
a new class in the 2009 Competition.
The focus and returns have shifted in the last two years from
velvet to venison and it would be a fitting result to see our
competitions reflect this change. Thanks to Duncan & Co
for working with us to make this happen and the wonderful
enthusiasm from the Rotorua and Waikato Branch members
who organised and supported the competition.
Sharon Love
Executive Committee, NZDFA
Deer Industry News

stagline supplement
Economist knocks ETS into shape
Following last month’s change of government, the future shape of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is still in the air.
With the legislation to go back before a select
committee and prospect of a carbon tax now back on
the table, the new Government is clearly looking at
a wider range of options than simply tinkering with
the existing scheme. However, most commentators are
picking that ACT’s wish to scrap the scheme altogether
will not be fulfilled.
At their meeting on 29 October – held before the
election – Branch Chairmen gave a sympathetic hearing
to a presentation on the original ETS legislation from
economist Dr Brent Layton. He is skeptical of the ETS
in its current form and has recently retired as Chief
Executive of the NZ Institute of Economic Research.
He reminded Chairmen that the ETS as it stands brings
farmers on board in 2013, with an initial “free allocation” of
credits based on 80% of 2005 figures. This allocation would
be progressively scaled back to zero from 2018 to 2030. There
was confusion about how this allocation could be worked
out and whether it would be allocated to individual farms or
through processors, Brent noted.
He said it would be “political folly” having a select
committee decide on allocations, as planned.
“No other country has committed to include farming in
an emissions scheme. The EU hasn’t even talked about it;
Australia will consider it, but not before 2015.”
Farmers would be affected both directly and indirectly,
through additional costs on petrol and diesel, and on
electricity. Even at the government figure of $25/tonne for
carbon emissions, there could be a 10 percent increase in
electricity costs – despite the fact that most of our electricity
is generated without creating emissions.
“There will be a significant windfall gain to the owners of
most power generation: the Government.”
NZIER assessed impacts of the ETS on different sectors,
taking direct and indirect effects into account. Brent said the
then Climate Change Minister was unimpressed with NZIER’s
model, although it had been positively peer reviewed by the
Minister’s own people. “Even Treasury were reasonably kind
about our model.”
He said subsequent changes such as the delay in introduction
of petrol shifted the timeframes, but didn’t lessen the impacts
of the ETS. The NZIER model (Table 1) suggested seriously
negative impacts on the two main livestock sectors, which
are more emissions intensive than non-livestock sectors (deer
farmers, although lumped in with “Other Farming” in the
NZIER analysis could probably identify closest to sheep and
beef).
The NZIER model showed a neutral to positive impact for the
arable (under “Other Farming”) and horticultural sectors.
Brent Layton said problems with the ETS as initially designed
included the impact on farmers as “free allocations” abated,
the fact that no other farmers were to be handicapped this
way and the price extremes associated with an untested
international carbon market.
Table 1: Predicted impact of ETS on main sectors. Source: NZIER
Change from base % Contribution to GDP Employment Capital stock Land price
Hort & Fruit 4.9 10.4 4.3 9.3
Sheep & Beef -6.6 -9.0 -11.9 -23.4
Dairying -12.9 -19.8 -22.4 -40.6
Other Farming 0.1 3.5 -0.7 -2.2
Economy -2.1 0.0 -3.4
He said Treasury had been quiet about the fact that the
quirks of the ETS could yield it billions of dollars in windfall
gains, further down the track. The Australians’ fiscally
neutral approach was preferable, he added.
New Zealand had diplomatic and strategic advantages
from signing up to Kyoto and bringing in an ETS, and this
benefited the entire country. Therefore the burden should be
shared by the general public, Brent said.
There was also an anomaly in the current scheme which
would see a cap on New Zealand emissions lead to an
increase in emissions elsewhere. One solution could be an
independent governance body to regulate free allocations,
thereby neutralising some of the inequities – rather than the
current scheme which vested most decisions in the Minister.
“It’s a myth that the ETS charges polluters directly for the
cost of their pollution. It is an incentivisation scheme, not a
payment for a cost that you’re actually imposing,” Brent said.
“We don’t know how much we should actually pay to stop
the problem.”
There’s a considerable willingness among some New Zealand
politicians to sacrifice some industries for an unquantified
political advantage, he said. “Unless we know what those
advantages are, we haven’t a dog’s show of knowing what
we should pay for them.”
Some politicians and Treasury officials were overly keen to
get their hands on windfall gains from an ETS, he added.
Brent also attacked the government position that the
Minister should be making the key decisions about resource
allocations under an ETS, likening it to central planning
under communist regimes.
Finally, Brent said, the imposition of an ETS was tantamount
to expropriation of property, because it arbitrarily imposed a
charge on an economic activity they had developed perfectly
legally. “A desire to force behaviour change rides over their
rights or investments.”
NZDFA Executive Committee Chairman, Bill Taylor
commented that Brent Layton’s presentation was some of the
best common sense he had ever heard spoken on the subject
of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
44
Deer Industry News

esearch
Collaboration points way to Johne’s-resilient bloodlines
A deer stud and a university have collaborated to turn the grim and costly task of testing and culling for Johne’s disease
(JD) into a promising line of research.
Peel Forest Estate has teamed up with Otago University’s
Department of Microbiology and Immunology to not only
combat JD in the Peel Forest stud herd, but also to explore
ways to identify individual animals and bloodlines in the
herd that show resilience against the disease.
The herd at Peel Forest was hit hard by JD in 2000, and the
stud withdrew from selling live animals. Owner Graham
Carr decided to meet the challenge through an intensive
programme of testing and culling using the Paralisa® test.
In doing so Graham had to make some hard decisions,
culling some apparently healthy animals that the testing
programme had selected.
While all farms undertaking a test and culling programme
are faced with similar decisions, the detailed stud database
at Peel Forest has enabled Otago University’s Professor Frank
Griffin to retrospectively analyse the pedigrees of infected,
uninfected and diseased animals, thus identifying susceptible
and resilient lines.
Frank says a significant number of the culled animals have
been subjected to post-mortem follow-up, to accurately
establish their status with respect to infection or disease.
“The purity of Graham’s bloodlines and access to multiple
embryos from individual dam/sire combinations has been
extremely helpful in identifying breed effects,” Frank says,
adding that the access to animals from the stud breeding
programme “has provided a scientific platform for genetic
studies which I believe will never be duplicated again in any
species of domestic livestock. I believe this programme has
produced some of the most informative findings I have been
party to in almost 40 years as a researcher.”
What they have found is that animals from some bloodlines,
including one known as B11 which are crossbred terminal
sires, appear resilient to the disease.
The term resilient is chosen carefully. Frank Griffin defines it
as “the ability of an individual (animal) to maintain acceptable
health and productivity following exposure to infection”.
This is distinct from resistance, which is an ability to remain
free from infection. “Resilience is a relative term which
measures the negative impacts of infection,” he explains.
While the collaboration has revealed some linkages between
resilience and certain bloodlines, there is clearly more to be
discovered about mechanisms of these links. “Our goal is to
identify the small group of genes associated with functional
immune responsiveness that contribute to resilience. We are
convinced that no single gene will define this trait but it will
result from a small number of genes working in consort,”
Frank says.
He is confident that stags from the resilient bloodlines being
identified at Peel Forest could improve the JD resilience
of their offspring. He adds that the ultimate challenge is
to ensure that production traits and resilience traits are
co-selected, and that superior genetics are not lost to the
industry.
“As Peel Forest Estate continues down the pathway to
produce resilient deer and with the knowledge that we
are gaining regarding breed and bloodline influence, our
breeding focus is changing. We will still retain our strategy
of producing genetics that will assist the industry to improve
productivity. However, we will focus on resilience as being
equally important. DBVs are important, but the fitness
of animals used either for finishing or as replacements is
equally important in order to sustain high performance
animals that farmers need,” says Graham Carr. He says Peel
Forest sells only 3-year-old stags that have been repeatedly
tested for JD.
On the question of the role of resilient animals in the
spread of JD, Frank says that, intuitively, resilient animals
would pose either no risk or a significantly lower risk for
the spread of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, “but proving
this would be very expensive as it would require exhaustive
microbiology monitoring to be carried out on large numbers
of slaughtered animals.”
He says there is no reason other studs also facing a Johne’s
challenge on their properties could not undertake a similar
programme, provided they were prepared to make the serious
investment needed in elective culling. “Perversely, a strong
JD challenge offers the bonus of selection for resilience
among purebred animals, although the attendant cost of
culling susceptible animals is significant.”
Deer Industry News spoke to a number of other scientists
involved in deer health and genetics research about the
successful collaboration between Peel Forest Estate and Otago
University. The development was generally welcomed, but the
scientists said they were looking forward to further independent
analysis of the data that the work has yielded so far.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 45

esearch
Learning how venison holds its water
We all know that when it comes to tenderness and mouth watering juiciness, venison stands head and shoulders above
other meats. One of the most passionate believers in the qualities of venison is a scientist who knows more than most
about what makes our champion protein tick.
AgResearch MIRINZ’s Dr Eva Wiklund is
undertaking two projects that will throw
more light on what happens to venison after
slaughter, and possible ways to get it to
market in optimum condition.
One problem, well known in the venison
processing industry, is drip loss in chilled
product – the tendency for venison to exude
liquid. As a regular attendee at the DeerQA
Venison Processors’ Technical Committee, Eva
hears first hand feedback from processors and
their customers about quality issues, and drip
loss has been identified as a high priority.
It’s a natural process linked to one of
venison’s greatest strengths – its tenderness.
Enzymes in the muscle cells – calpains – are
Dr Eva Wiklund.
central to the story. In life, the calpains are
busy regulating the muscle protein turnover;
building muscle when animals are growing and breaking
down protein if extra energy is needed. In death, however,
the calpains start to break down cell structures in muscle
tissue. This is the secret to the tenderness of venison, a
process that occurs very quickly post slaughter compared
with beef, which benefits from ageing. While the animal is
still alive, calpain inhibitors regulate the enzyme’s activity
and prevent the cell structure from being degraded, but this
balance is lost after slaughter.
Drip loss, this unwelcome side effect of the rapid
‘tenderising’ process post slaughter, is becoming more
important as the proportion of venison exported in chilled
form grows. With chilled venison taking at least six weeks
to reach its markets, drip loss inside vacuum packaging can
be quite pronounced by the time the product reaches the
consumer, but the meat is also very tender. After a prolonged
period, the drip inside vacuum packaging can also discolour
the meat.
Drip loss is more pronounced in venison than other meats.
Further water loss happens during cooking, but this is a
result of heating and denaturation of the proteins rather than
enzyme activity.
Eva Wiklund says that although the phenomenon is well
known, the processes that cause the chilled meat to expel
moisture this way are not well understood. Research into
these fundamental processes is the first step towards finding
ways to manage them, she adds.
A related problem for the presentation of venison is poor
colour stability. Cut meat exposed to air will ‘bloom’ a nice
cherry red colour as myoglobin, the oxygen-transporting
protein in muscle tissue, quickly oxidises. (Myoglobin
contains iron and forms the pigments responsible for meat’s
colour.) Unfortunately this is a relatively fleeting stage, and
the meat will eventually take on a less appetising grey/
brown appearance as the myoglobin continues to change
on exposure to oxygen. There is a higher concentration of
myoglobin in venison than in beef, which is why the colour
46
change is more pronounced in venison.
The two research projects being led by
Eva Wiklund are designed to increase
understanding of the processes that go
on in chilled venison following slaughter.
The work could eventually point the way
to processes for mitigating the unwanted
drip loss and colour instability without
compromising the wonderful tenderness of
venison.
The first programme, seasonal variation in
venison quality, is already well underway.
DEEResearch is contributing $20,000 to
the $80,000 project, with the balance
funded by AgResearch.
The study has sampled muscle from deer
slaughtered at four different times of
the year – December, March, June and
September – to assess the seasonal variation in drip loss,
colour, calpain activity and tenderness.
Eva says preliminary results show deer slaughtered in
December have yielded the most tender venison and, along
with the tenderness, the greatest water loss during chilled
storage. The March-slaughtered venison was noticeably less
tender, and this seems to be linked to greater presence of
calpain inhibitors in the muscle tissue at this time. The July
and September-slaughtered venison was intermediate in
tenderness between the March and December product. Water
loss during cooking did not seem to be linked to season,
however.
At press time, Eva was still awaiting results showing seasonal
Drip loss (purge) in a vacuum bag. Venison sample has been
chilled at –1.5 C for 9 weeks.
Deer Industry News

esearch
variation in calpain activity, and any possible linkage to
tenderness and drip loss.
The real payoff from this research lies in the potential
for modifying processing in a way that will inhibit
drip loss without sacrificing tenderness, Eva says. “It
might be possible to change something like the speed
of chilling that will make only a small impact on
tenderness – too small to notice – but which will help
overcome the drip loss problem.”
Looking at colour stability, Eva says not much is known
about the phenomenon in meat chilled for an extended
period of time, which is true for beef, lamb and
venison. It may be possible to optimise the packaging
methods and materials used – which are based on beef
and lamb processing techniques – to something more
suitable for the oxygen-sensitive venison.
The second research programme,
venison and water holding, is at
an earlier stage, and is a more
applied project, Eva explains.
DEEResearch is contributing
$50,000 to the programme, with
AgResearch/FRST providing the
remaining $50,000.
The first of two experiments
focuses on venison and beef
and will include objective
measurements of changes in
water-holding capacity of chilled
product over intervals ranging
from one day to 14 weeks post
slaughter. Changes in colour,
water loss during cooking and
tenderness will also be measured.
The second experiment in this project will evaluate the
effects of spray chilling of deer carcasses, specifically
Breeding programme caution
urged
Eva Wiklund acknowledges that it’s important for the
deer industry to increase on-farm productivity with fastergrowing
or more reproductively successful animals, but
warns that developing a more efficient animal should not
be at the expense of product quality.
She gives the salutary example of the pork industry in
Europe and the United States 20 or 30 years ago: “They
developed a lean, fast-growing pig, but it was very stress
sensitive, so that in fact some animals could die during
transport. These pigs also had leg problems resulting
from the fast growth. The meat produced was ‘pale, soft,
exudative’ – very high drip loss soon after slaughter made
the meat dry, tough and horrible to eat. The gene for
fast growth was later found to be directly linked to stress
sensitivity.”
Eva says livestock breeding programmes need to take note
if genes for higher productivity were associated with any
negative animal health or meat quality impacts.
A
A
Water-holding capacity measured with the centrifuge method. (A) PhD
student Dominic Lomiwes takes a small sample along muscle fibres, cut out
and placed in a centrifuge tube. (B) Sample, tube and drip (on the bottom
of the tube) after centrifugation.
Water-holding capacity measured with the press method. (A) Small cut up meat sample is placed on
a filter paper and then in a press. (B) Filter paper after the press test. Inner circle is meat and the
outer circle is meat juice/water pressed out of the meat.
on water uptake/distribution, drip loss, colour and
microbiological quality. Eva says only a few New Zealand
deer slaughter premises use spray chilling for venison at
present. It’s done to provide a more humid atmosphere and
help prevent weight loss through evaporation as the meat
dries out during chilling, when fans are blowing air over
the carcasses. It is important to differentiate this technique
from the so called ‘enhanced’ meat products. In these,
brine – including salt and phosphates – is used to improve
tenderness and juiciness and can add considerable weight to
pork, beef and poultry products, she notes.
The project will examine variations in water-holding capacity
of different parts of the carcass after spray chilling. Ten
carcasses will be tested, with another ten in a control group
chilled in the same conditions but without spray chilling.
“I’m curious to know what will happen to venison from
spray-chilled carcasses up to 14 weeks later – how much drip
loss will there be?” Eva says.
Because beef and lamb carcasses have much more surface fat
than deer carcasses, they are likely to respond differently to
spray chilling.
“Even though New Zealand is a world leader in venison
processing, many of the parameters used are simply taken
from lamb or beef,” Eva says. “That might work in some
areas but not all. Venison is a very different meat to lamb
or beef. We need to know more about the way it behaves so
that we can protect its quality all the way to the end user.”
The venison and water-holding project is expected to be
completed by the end of July 2009.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 47
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esearch
NZDFA invited to invest in Pastoral Genomics
programme
The NZDFA has been invited to add to the deer industry’s investment in the next phase of the Pastoral Genomics
Research Consortium’s (PG’s) research programme. Stakeholders’ patience and ongoing investment into pastoral
genomics research thus far is on the verge delivering some impressive productivity and sustainability gains, Branch
Chairmen were told at their October meeting.
The deer industry has contributed to the
programme through DEEResearch throughout
PG’s first seven-year research phase (PG1).
DEEResearch funding of $34,000 pa is committed
until the end of this first development phase,
ending 30 June 2009.
The Consortium is seeking an ongoing
commitment at a similar level from stakeholders,
for a further five years (2009-2014) to bring
this work out of the lab and onto the farm.
This second phase is known as PG2. Research
Dr. Zac Hanley.
stakeholders for PG1 include DairyNZ, Meat
& Wool New Zealand, Fonterra, DEEResearch,
AgResearch and the Foundation for Research Science &
Technology.
PG is also asking for an additional deer industry commitment
for PG2 of $10,000 pa through NZDFA. (NZDFA has not
provided any direct funding for PG1.)
PG’s request for funding commitments from its stakeholders
for PG2 is subject to the consortium’s full proposal being
accepted and funded by FRST.
Dr Mike Dunbier, Chairman of PG, and Dr Zac Hanley,
Consortium Manager, updated Branch Chairmen on research
progress.
The productivity targets for PG1 were very specific, and from
the outset included:
• 25% increase in forage biomass from ryegrass and
clover
• increase in condensed tannins to improve protein
quality and therefore animal production
• improved drought tolerance
• increased persistence of clovers alongside ryegrass and
under grazing pressure
• increased quality in terms of palatability, energy,
nitrogen efficiency.
Sustainability and long-term productivity are important
drivers for the PG2 work, Zac said. He noted that some of
the biotechnology being applied involved using only ryegrass
genes in ryegrass, or only clover genes in clover.
The name for this intra-species gene transfer work has been
trademarked as Cisgenics® by PG. It enhances conventional
plant breeding and does not involve the cross-species
gene transfer that exercises so many opponents of genetic
engineering.
The Consortium has modelled advantages of these gains
for the dairy industry, showing up to a 271% increase in
economic farm surplus per hectare if some of these objectives
are achieved – “eminently doable with what we’ve got,” Zac
said. Extrapolated onto sheep, beef and deer the combined
positive impact using this model could be as much as $450
million pa.
He said sustainability was now a bigger part of the
Consortium’s goals than before.
“New Zealanders spend a billion dollars a year on
fertilisers. Any change we can make to [efficiency] is
going to be money in the farmer’s pocket. You don’t
have to do so much work as you might imagine
to make a plant 50 percent more efficient. Even a
10 percent improvement in nitrogen use efficiency
would make a startling difference to how much is
there for the animals, and how much [fertiliser]
you’d have to put on.”
Key research areas planned for PG2 include:
• nutrient use efficiencies: nitrogen, phosphorus, water
• tailored forage composition: rumen (including
condensed tannins), digestibility, forage composition
• ‘watching brief’ targets: ryegrass persistence and
establishment, alternative forages, whole-farm
biotechnologies.
Making the big gains involved a whole portfolio of
approaches, Zac said. “There’s a whole bunch of ways we
can attack these problems.”
The work would happen at three levels: wide breeding
(something both scientists and gardeners have done for
years), marker-assisted breeding and functional genomics,
or Cisgenics – the scientific nitty gritty which sees candidate
genes for valued traits re-introduced to their hosts.
Zac said the beauty of industry-good research was the high
level of collaboration, which meant gains made were shared.
This helped accelerate progress. He was at pains to point
out that the financial benefits estimated from improvements
in the field are very conservative. “A single gene has been
responsible for a 130 percent increase in biomass in lab
tests. This is why our target for a 25 percent increase is
unambitious.”
Commercialisation of the new technologies would be done
in such a way that would deliver the most benefits to New
Zealand pastoral farmers, Zac said. PG was not interested in
royalties, and any that were earned would be ploughed back
into further research. “Royalties would be waived if they had
the effect of inhibiting or delaying benefits to New Zealand
farmers.”
He said some innovations from the project are ready for
market development; for example the Consortium is working
with Agriseeds on some of the clovers that have been
developed. While it was inevitable that the commercial
entities that brought the new cultivars to market would
profit from the publicly generated intellectual property, none
would be given a monopoly on the technology. Mike Dunbier
pointed out that some partner companies were already
investing in commercialising new cultivars arising from the
programme.
48
Deer Industry News

esearch
Containment facilities at Lincoln
University were perfect for
replicating experiments with some
of the new cultivars, putting them
through challenges such as the
drought that hit the Waikato last
summer. “We can show that if you
had our plants in your field, they’d
have done way better,” Zac said.
Mike Dunbier noted that there was
a budgetary limit to the number
of traits that could be pursued.
Good winter growth was not one
of these, but he said that a plant
bred to tolerate one particular type
of stress was likely to bear up well
under other challenges, including
low temperatures.
Because of the public interest
that gets attracted to any new
biotechnologies, PG would take the
initiative to explain to stakeholders
the science behind the new
cultivars and the benefits they
would offer. Surveys had shown
there was less resistance to the
idea of a plant modified with a gene from its
own species, than, say, a gene from a fungus.
There were concerns nonetheless. Overseas, these were more
pronounced in Europe than the United States.
Cisgenic technology, or reintroducing genes from the same
species, is technically genetic modification, so release of
new cultivars developed this way will still require approval
The ryegrass plant on the right has a significan advantage in biomass after drought
treatment, courtesy of a single change in its genetic code.
through ERMA. New Zealand scientists are working with
ERMA to develop an approach to this form of biotechnology.
“[a new cultivar] hasn’t got anything new in it. It’s just been
well arranged and put together properly.”
For further information:
www.pastoralgenomics.com
Scientist honoured for deer vaccine work
AgResearch scientist Dr Bryce Buddle, who helped develop the Yersiniavax® vaccine, has been twice honoured in recent
weeks.
He has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of New
Zealand (RSNZ), one of 10 new Fellows elected by the RSNZ for their
innovative science.
Shortly after this award, the RSNZ awarded Bryce the Hutton Medal
in Animal Sciences for 2008. The biennial award recognised his longstanding
work in the control of infectious diseases in livestock and
wildlife.
Bryce carried out the yersinosis vaccine development work during the
1990s in collaboration with Colin Mackintosh, who ran the field trials,
and Frank Griffin, who did the immunology studies in terms of the
responses in deer.
The successful vaccine was the first to have been developed against the
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis organism in any animal. The killed vaccine
has three strains of the organism. Bryce says the practice of running
large numbers of dairy calves from different farms on runoffs is starting
to lead to a yersinosis problem in cattle also, although the current
vaccine is not suitable for cattle.
The Hutton Medal also recognised Bryce’s diagnostic work with bovine
Tb in cattle and wildlife reservoirs. He and his colleagues are currently
working on developing a Tb vaccine for cattle that will not induce a
response to the skin test.
Issue No 33 • December 2008 49

esearch
Sire Summaries: 1 December 2008
These sire summaries list sire breeding values calculated from
a single analysis of information from herds located around
New Zealand. This analysis enables the genetic performance
of the sires used in these herds to be compared on the same
basis, after differences in environment have been removed.
To appear on the list, a stag must have a minimum of 5
progeny recorded, have a minimum accuracy for 12-month
weight breeding value of 75%, and have progeny born in
the last 2 years. There are separate lists for English stags and
European and Composite stags. The breeding values on the
two lists are directly comparable (providing both lists have the
same analysis date recorded).
The information presented is for growth only, with the traits
reported being weight at 12 months (W12) and mature weight
of hinds (MWT). Both breeding values (BV) and accuracy of
each breeding value (acc%) are reported. Number of progeny
are reported as “number born in the last 2 years/total number
of progeny” where the two numbers differ.
The lists are ranked in descending order based on the breeding
value for 12 month weight (W12BV). The list for English stags
includes the top 10 of 33 stags listed, based on W12BV. The list
for European and Composite stags includes the top 30 of 293
stags listed.
Full, sortable lists for all sire stags are available on the
DEEResearch website and clicking on the breeding values
link on the home page: www.deeresearch.org.nz
DISCLAIMER: While every endeavour has been made to
ensure the accuracy of information in these reports, SIL and
AgResearch expressly disclaims any and all liabilities that may
arise from the use of the information.
English top 10
Rank (W12BV) Birth Herd Current Tag No Progeny W12BV W12Acc MWTBV MWTAcc Current Flock Prefix
1 Pelorus Deer TOBY 83/169 11.8 97% 4.7 84% Peel Forest Estate
2 Stanfield English DARTAGNION 45 10 89% 4 75% Stanfield English
3 Stanfield English 68/95 1/30 7.9 89% 6.3 76% Pelorus Deer
4 Pelorus Deer BENTLEY 35/91 7.3 94% 5.3 78% Foveran Deer Stud
5 Stanfield English ARAGORN 161/190 5.7 96% 1.5 81% Stanfield English
6 Canterbury Imp Red Deer 96053 23/215 5.4 96% 4 88% Canterbury Imp Red Deer
7 Stanfield English MERLIN 91/192 5.3 97% 7.6 84% Stanfield English
8 Windermere Red Deer Farm 295/90 1/28 5.3 87% 1.1 72% Windermere Red Deer Farm
9 Pelorus Deer 45 25/71 4.7 91% 1.8 72% Foveran Deer Stud
10 Stanfield English WILLIAM JOHN 275/428 4 98% 2 84% Foveran Deer Stud
European and Composite top 30
Rank (W12BV) Birth Herd Current Tag No Progeny W12BV W12Acc MWTBV MWTAcc Current Flock Prefix
1 Peel Forest Estate ATLAS 60 25.3 94% 22.3 79% Peel Forest Estate
2 Canterbury Imp Red Deer COSSAR 185 22.1 97% 21.2 81% Deer Improvement
3 Peel Forest Estate 4052 7 22 83% 21.5 72% Peel Forest Estate
4 Remarkables Park Deer Farm LUCIANO 64 21.9 93% 14.7 72% Deer Improvement
5 Stanfield Eastern MAXIMILIAN 168/427 21.4 98% 25.9 94% Stanfield Eastern
6 Stanfield Eastern 3152 90 21.1 94% 22.4 81% Wilkins Farming
7 Black Forest Park KURGAN 42/48 20.7 92% 22 83% Black Forest Park
8 Black Forest Park KABUL 44/289 20.5 98% 20.5 93% Black Forest Park
9 Peel Forest Estate ADMIRAL 198/236 19.8 98% 12.5 84% Deer Improvement
10 Stanfield Eastern MOSSIMO 89 19.8 95% 19.8 83% Deer Improvement
11 Doncaster Deer Partnership WAIPAHI 34 19.6 89% 16.5 72% Deer Improvement
12 Doncaster Deer Partnership 5073 5 19.3 81% 13 66% Doncaster Deer Partnership
13 Sunny Downs CROATIA 46 18.7 90% 9.6 69% Sunny Downs
14 Black Forest Park 02P185 5 18.4 79% 15 67% Black Forest Park
15 Black Forest Park SUPER NOVA 25 18.3 89% 16.1 79% Black Forest Park
16 Landcorp Stuart 382/05 11 18.3 83% 17.6 71% Landcorp Stuart
17 Stanfield Eastern COLOSSUS 73/101 18.2 96% 17.4 83% Deer Improvement
18 Stanfield Eastern MAXIMILIAN II 84 18.1 93% 19.1 84% Stanfield Eastern
19 Landcorp Stuart 389/05 16 17.6 85% 11 71% Landcorp Stuart
20 Fairlight STALLONE 42 17.5 90% 11.6 73% Fairlight
21 Black Forest Park 02P166 32 17.3 88% 15.3 76% Black Forest Park
22 Canterbury Imp Red Deer CRUSADER 116/154 17.2 97% 16.2 83% Deer Improvement
23 Landcorp Stuart 293/04 26 16.8 86% 16.9 73% Landcorp Stuart
24 Invermay MOSGIEL 48 16.6 92% 13.8 75% Deer Improvement
25 Black Forest Park PISCES 14 16.5 85% 16.5 74% Black Forest Park
26 Doncaster Deer Partnership CARL 207/275 16.3 98% 13.2 90% Deer Improvement
27 Landcorp Stuart 365/04 6 16.3 80% 10.9 64% Landcorp Stuart
28 Bennett TEMUKA 83 16.2 94% 12.7 74% Deer Improvement
29 Black Forest Park 03B278 35 16.1 91% 16.8 79% Wilkins Farming
30 Stanfield Eastern 3150 12 16 85% 18.5 74% Stanfield Eastern
50
Deer Industry News