Deer farmers discuss Game Industry Board

Press, 18 February 1983, Page 21

Deer farmers discuss Game Industry Board

Observers from various Asian and European countries, Australia, Canada, and the United States are expected to be among the 450 to 500 deer farmers attending the eighth annual New Zealand Deer Farmers’ Association Conference which opens at Nelson on March 1. . The actual business of the conference — which includes addresses from a variety of experts on the raising of deer and marketing — concludes each day at midday. This is to allow attendance at “Deer Expo 83,” a fieldday to be held at Richmond Park on the Tuesday, and a look around the Nelson Province and its deer farms on the Wednesday. The keynote address is to be given on the first morning by Mr lan Donald, chief executive of the rural and trading division of Wrightson NMA and later in the morning there will be addresses by Professor R. R. Hofman (Federal Republic of Germany) on the feeding and digestion processes of deer, and by Dr R. Kay, Rowat Research Institute, Scotland, on an “overview of research into-deer at Rowat.” On the second day, Mr Peter Talley, managing director of Talley’s Fisheries, Motueka, will speak on developing new markets, and Mr Charles Clarke, export manager for Fort Export, will speak on product presentation.

Other addresses on the Tuesday are from Mrs Elaine Hart, president of the Australian Deer Breeders Federation (“Marketing of farmed venison on Australia”), Mr Dick Hughes, general manager of Wrightson Deer Horn (“Marketing live deer in New Zealand”), Dr Peter Fennessy, Invermay Research Centre (“Performances, recording and delection for breeding in deer”), Dr Rod Oliver, Wallaceville Animal Research Centre (“MCF research progress”), and Mr Peter Hayes, a Nelson veterinarian (“Copper deficiency in deer”). On the Thursday night a ball, in the Trafalgar Centre will close the conference. Delegates are expected to devote much time to discussion of the internal organisation of the association. The proposed Game Industry Board, which is expected to come into being this year, is also likely to receive close Attention. The executive director of the association, Mr Mike Pattison, said several remits on the agenda concerning the structure and size of the executive' council reflected the growing strength of the association’s 28 branches. “There has been a growing interest in some form of regional representation,” he said. Mr Pattison said the association would also consider ways of obtaining additional finance.

Mr Pattison said there was likely to be a great deal of interest in a report to be presented on the activities of the Game Industry Advisory Committee. This was a subcommittee of the executive council and was concerned with venison marketing. “It has been quite a lengthy process setting up the Game Industry Board and there have been many marketing matters to deal with in the intervening period,” he said. “The report will therefore be of interest to all association members.”