Duke calls for more deer farms to plug venison supply gap

MORE deer farms are urgently needed to help to plug gaps in the supply of venison, the Duke of Gloucester was told on a visit to South Yorkshire yesterday.

The Duke was visiting Round Green Farm in Worsborough, near Barnsley, which was one of the first farms in the country to start keeping deer.

Farm owners Richard and Jenny Elmhirst, who gave up milking dairy cows in the early 1980s, also told him that not only is venison meat healthy, but deer farming is one of the healthiest sectors of the livestock industry.

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Mr Elmhirst, who is currently president of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, said: "You can make good money, in fact it's probably more profitable than most beef and sheep farming in this country."

Mrs Elmhirst, who runs the farm shop, added: "It's terribly good to eat. It's extremely healthy, low in saturated fat and a rich source of iron."

While at Round Green Farm, which lies beside the M1 motorway and borders Stainborough Park, the Duke unveiled a plaque marking the completion of the conversion of the farm's old parlour into a modern meat-cutting plant.

The Elmhirsts' meat-cutting plant supplies meat not just from their own farm, but also from neighbouring properties, to major UK supermarkets.

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However, during the low season for UK farmed venison, the meat is sourced from New Zealand farms to plug the gap.

Mr Elmhirst, whose family has been farming the area since the 14th century, said there was "nowhere near" the number of farms in Britain to satisfy the public's appetite for venison.

He said: "We certainly need more producers in the country and, if this visit throws venison farming into the spotlight, we would be delighted."

Venison from Round Green Farm has been used by several celebrity chefs, including Gordon Ramsey, Marcus Wareing and Brian Turner.

During his visit to Barnsley, the Duke of Gloucester also unveiled a commemorative plaque to officially open the Civic building in Hanson Street.