The Production Economics of Red Deer Husbandry for Commercial Venison

Abstract

The thesis is concerned with the study of the economics of venison production in Scotland. It examines the various production systems utilised at present both in the wild and on an intensive farm and analyses the factors affecting productivity and their relative importance in each system. The evolution of the red deer in Scotland and more recent developments in the market for venison are examined in the early chapters. In addition, the production system in the wild is analysed and a production function is developed. In order to study the population dynamics of the red deer, a mathematical model is constructed. This is used in conjunction with the production function developed previously to illustrate the interaction between the ecological and economic factors which govern the productivity of red deer populations. In the light of this analysis, a number of recommendations are made for the improvement of productivity in the wild. The limitations of this production system, however, pose a problem for the practical implementation of such proposals. To some extent, these may be overcome by the adoption of a more intensive production system, although this in turn creates its own problems. The second part of this thesis is thus concerned with the study of the intensive system. The experimental deer farm at Glensaugh forms the basis f~ the investigation of this system. The data thus obtained are used in conjunction with a modified version of the mathematical model previously developed. This is incorporated in a linear programming format so that the farming system may be analysed and the operating strategies compared. The objective of the analysis is to determine which factors exert the greatest influence upon the operating strategies in terms of operating profit. Once these critical areas are identified, research effort may be directed more effectively to improve the system performance. The above analysis leads to a number of recommendations regarding' the operating strategies on a deer farm. The financial aspects of such an operation are examined and provide some basis against which the future viability of the farming operation might be assessed. No attempt is made to define levels of acceptable returns on investment. The intention is rather to determine the effects which changes in the economic and environmental conditions have upon investment potential. Although this study provides some tentative solutions as to how improvements in productivity may be obtained these should not be regarded as final. As knowledge of the production system improves, the solutions to the problems will change as will the problems themselves.