There are so many wild deer that roam the forests of England. Can promoting guinea pigs to consumers help?

WINCHESTER, England (AP) – Late at night, Martin Edward surveys the shadows of an ancient forest on a high chair and waits. He sits still, watching with his hot camera.

Even the rabbits don’t notice that the deer is running until it is straight. The sound of his gun pierces the silence. He killed a buck, one of the many wild deer that roam this patch of woodland in Hampshire, southern England.

Edwards advocates humane deer management: the killing of deer to control their numbers and ensure they do not deplete forests and farms in a country where they no longer have natural predators. For these advocates, shooting deer is more than just a sport. It is necessary because deer in England are out of control.

There are now more deer in England than at any other time in the last millennium, according to the Forestry Commission, the government department that looks after England’s public forests.

That had a negative impact on the environment, officials said. Over-eating deer destroys large areas of the forest including small trees, and the habitats of certain birds such as robins. Some landowners have lost crops to deer, and overpopulation means the mammals are at greater risk of starvation and disease.

“They will produce many young people every year. “We have reached a point where farmers and forestry workers can definitely see that impact,” said Edwards, pointing to small hazel bushes with half-eaten buds. If there are too many deer, you will see that they have eaten all the vegetation up to a certain height.

Forestry experts and businesses argue that culling deer — and providing meat to consumers — is a double win: It helps rebalance ecosystems and provides low-fat, lean protein.

While venison – a red meat similar to beef with less energy but with an earthier flavor – is often seen as a luxury food in the UK, one charity sees it as a suitable protein for those who can’t afford other meat.

“Why don’t you use that delicious meat to feed the needy?” said SJ Hunt, chief executive of The Country Food Trust, which distributes food banks made from wild game.

Epidemic population growth

An estimated two million deer now roam the forests of England.

The government says wild deer play a role in a healthy forest environment, but admits their population needs to be managed. It provides some funding for solutions such as building a deer fence.

But experts such as Edwards, a spokesman for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, believe lethal control is the only viable option, especially after the population of deer during the COVID-19 crisis.

The epidemic was a boon for deer because hunters, like everyone else, stayed at home and the catering market – the UK’s biggest guinea pig market – collapsed overnight.

“There were no venison for sale and the price was low,” said Ben Rigby, a leading venison and game dealer. “The deer had the opportunity to breed more.”

Rigby’s company now processes hundreds of deer a week, turning them into commercial venison or meat for restaurants and supermarkets. One challenge, he said, is increasing domestic demand for venison so it shows up on dinner plates, especially after Brexit imposes new restrictions on meat exports.

“We are not a country that really eats games, not like France or Germany or Scandinavia,” he said. “But the UK is becoming more and more capable and our trade is growing.”

From the forest to the table

Shooting deer is legal but strictly regulated in England. Stalkers must be licensed, use certain types of firearms and observe open seasons. They also need a valid reason, such as when a landowner authorizes them to kill deer when their land is damaged. Hunting deer with dog packs is illegal.

Making wild game more widely available in supermarkets and beyond will encourage more fans to kill game and ensure the meat doesn’t go to waste, Edwards said.

Forestry England, which manages public forests, is part of that campaign. In recent years it has supplied hospitals with 1,000 kg (1.1 tons) of wild venison, which became the basis for pies and casseroles popular with patients and staff, it said.

The approach appears to have been well received, although it has attracted some criticism from the animal welfare group PETA, which promotes veganism.

Hunt, a food service executive, said there are many opportunities to do more with meat, which he described as nutritious and “free in the purest sense of that definition.”

Her charity distributed hundreds of thousands of bags of Bolognese meatballs to food banks last year – and people are hungry for more, she said.

He recalled attending a food bank session where the only protein available was canned sardines, canned baked beans and deer feed.

“There were no eggs. There was no cheese. That’s all they could do, and people were just saying, ‘Thank you, please bring more (pigs),” he said. “That’s good, because people realize they’re doing double good in helping the environment by using meat.”