By Corina Jordan, Chief Executive, New Zealand Game Animal Council
The global food system is under increasing scrutiny for its climate impact, particularly when it comes to the production of red meat. Here in New Zealand, however, we have an opportunity to tell a much more positive story – one that combines our world-leading farming practices with one of our most popular recreational activities.
Without question New Zealand sheep and beef farmers do an outstanding job, and as a result our red meat products are among the most highly-sought-after and most carbon-efficient in the world.
Recent research commissioned by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, shows that a kilogram of sheep meat produced here carries a carbon footprint of just under 15 kilograms of CO₂ equivalent, while beef sits just under 22 kilograms. Compared to international averages (24kg CO₂e per kg for sheep meat and 60kg CO₂e per kg for beef), the carbon footprint of New Zealand’s farmed meat is remarkably low and reflects the efficiency of our farmers.
Alongside New Zealand’s farmed red meat, the harvesting of wild venison by hunters provides an even more climate-friendly source of protein.
A recent BBC story from the UK drew my attention to the climate credentials of wild venison. So, to test the idea in a New Zealand context, we looked at data from the Game Animal Council’s research into the activities of New Zealand hunters, analysing average travel distances, estimated vehicle emissions, and average meat recovery per hunt.
Here’s what we found:
- For red deer, hunters travel around 128 kilometres per animal harvested. If hunters recover an average of 15kg of meat, that equates to about 2.3kg of CO₂e per kilogram of venison on the table.
- For fallow deer, similar travel distances and smaller animals, gives an average of around 3.4kg CO₂e per kilogram of meat.
- Harvested sika deer had the highest carbon footprint, as hunters typically travel greater distances to hunt the highly regarded sika herd in the central North Island. This results in a carbon footprint of about 8.9kg CO₂e per kilogram of meat.
These results, while fairly simplistic, are pretty striking. Harvested wild red deer venison is around 11% of the carbon footprint of producing beef and 15% of what it takes to produce sheep meat. Harvested wild fallow deer venison is about 15% of beef and 23% of sheep meat, while harvesting sika, even with the long travel distances involved, still only has a footprint equivalent to about 40% of the carbon emissions involved in farmed beef and 59% of those in sheep meat.
Of course, the benefit of harvesting wild venison is about a lot more than carbon miles. The recreational hunting of female deer, in particular, is a major contributor to managing herd numbers and keeping populations in check.
When not appropriately managed, deer can exert pressure on agricultural land and some native plants through selective browsing. Therefore, the focus of deer management should be on keeping browsing impacts at levels that support conservation and agricultural outcomes. More recently, some have called for the management of deer to be based on enhancing carbon sequestration. This is not required – research by Manaaki Whenua has found that deer don’t reduce the overall carbon sequestration of our forests and for this reason enhancing carbon sequestration is not an appropriate focus for deer management.
The simple fact is, the better we hunters manage deer, the better for the health of the animals, better for the environment and the less cause for ‘shoot-to-waste’ control programmes. This is why the consumption of wild venison represents such a unique win-win for New Zealand.
Harvesting wild venison also contributes to increased physical and mental wellbeing, through time spent in nature. When you serve wild venison at the dinner table, you’re not only offering your family lean, healthy, locally sourced protein, you’re also contributing to the ongoing management of our deer herds and improved conservation outcomes. I can’t think of many other protein sources that can claim that.
Celebrating the merits of our wild venison harvest is not about reducing the value of farmed meat. Agriculture remains the backbone of New Zealand’s economy and our red meat sector has worked hard to be among the most efficient producers in the world.
Wild venison is not a replacement for farmed red meat either, but it can be seen as a complementary option for more New Zealanders, particularly as household cost pressures rise. Recreationally sourced venison is also being donated through hunter-led community initiatives, helping provide healthy, sustainable protein to those most in need.
By incorporating more wild venison into our food supply, we can lower our individual dietary emissions, save money at the supermarket, provide a healthy protein source for people in need and further encourage the harvesting of deer as a conservation tool.
Wild venison deserves a far bigger place in the national conversation about how we eat sustainably.
The truth is that every animal harvested tells a story that connects recreation with conservation, a wild food source with sustainability, and hunting with the challenge of helping New Zealand tread more lightly on the planet. Harvesting wild venison should be recognised as a versatile, climate-friendly, conservation-positive choice that can play an even bigger part in nourishing our communities. Oh, and it makes for some pretty delicious meals too!