Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding deer farming; if an increase or decrease is indicated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17622/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The farmed deer population in Ireland stands at nearly 50,000 animals on some 300 units, producing almost 800 tonnes of venison annually. Deer numbers have increased by 10% since 1994. About 70% of production is exported to markets in Denmark, the UK and the US. Fallow deer are exported to Denmark, while red deer are supplied to the supermarket chains in Ireland and the UK and also to restaurants at home and in the US. There is severe competition from larger, lower cost producers abroad, especially Scotland and New Zealand, which influences price.

Irish venison is a specialised high quality product that has established good quality markets at home and abroad. The structure of deer farming has altered over the last ten years. The average deer enterprise has increased in scale from six to ten hectares, while the average breeding herd has risen almost twofold, from 48 to 88. While there may be fewer enterprises today, they are larger, more specialised and moving towards quality assured high value product outlets.

The development of a quality assured venison scheme has improved the marketing potential of Irish venison, especially in supermarkets, and it is expected that the trend will continue. Approximately 100 deer farms are now quality assured.