Sep 3, 2021
As spring starts to make itself felt, we look forward to a new season with buttons dropping, animals and grass (hopefully) growing.
The low level of venison prices compared to other proteins is a huge concern to us all. Your Executive Committee shared the feelings of many farmers in a letter to all venison marketing company CEOs.
We felt it was necessary to reinforce to the venison marketing companies, the anxiety felt by venison producers at the lack of recovery in the venison schedule, and the impact on future production of further reductions in breeding hind numbers.
We want to make sure that everyone involved in the marketing and selling of our products are doing their upmost to position venison in the market place for higher prices as fast as is practical.
All five venison marketing companies responded to the letter and we thank them for some well considered insights into the current market situation and for sharing their plans for restoring venison pricing. Read their replies here >> Your DFA Executive Committee plans to follow up with them all to continue the conversation.
The venison recovery will be a key topic for the companies at the annual NZDFA Branch Chairs Meeting (11th and 12th October). Our venison marketers will be attending and we will invite Branches to submit questions for the venison market update session on Monday 11th.
It is important that you as suppliers and shareholders of these companies read their replies and make your own mind up on the response and make sure you communicate your thoughts to the appropriate people within the company.
As you have probably read recently our long standing producer manager Tony Pearse has announced his retirement, sometime after the Branch Chairs Meeting in October. Tony’s contribution to the DFA and the deer industry as a whole has been outstanding and can’t be understated. Working with Tony on the Executive Committee for the past nine years has been a pleasure, and his knowledge of the industry from people to policy has been invaluable. Tony’s work with the branches has been crucial in pulling the DFA together as a cohesive organisation that represents the farmer’s voice. On behalf of the Executive Committee and all DFA members I wish Tony all the best for his well-earned retirement.
With the Covid vaccination programme well under way now it’s our best defence to protect ourselves and others to stop the virus getting into our community. We can’t afford to have processing plants or our farms affected.
- John Somerville, Chairman NZDFA Executive Committee
