The venison industry has been characterised by a number of boom bust cycles that have been highly de stabilising for all sectors in the supply chain. During the last ten years we have seen three major cycles with the latest putting the industry and many of its farmers financially on the edge of it’s own killing knife.
Long term price and supply stability is the key to growth and has been a catch cry of industry leaders for some time. In recent history, powerful international and unusual events can all be cited as the major initiators of the dramatic change in industry fortune. Nevertheless, the reliance of the NZ industry to date on the narrow constraints of traditional trade and conservative outlets has added a vulnerability to achieving the potential revenue of farm-raised venison for suppliers and processors alike.
This study will examine the relationship that has developed since 1967 with the German game trade and the New Zealand venison industry. To understand how the game trade has influenced core trading and how the venison industry has developed there is a need to define the market structure and evaluate its influence and its driving forces. For example describing what major forces exist and how they have developed over the last twenty years, how the farm raised and feral venison industries has evolved in that time and to give particular attention to what factors have contributed to venison returns from 2000 to today.
Tim Aitken
