http://online.wsj.com/news/art...04579139424081224050

What explains the fact that we have a glut of white-tailed deer in this country, yet an estimated 85% of the venison sold in restaurants and at meat counters is imported from farms in New Zealand?

The Kiwis tout the high quality of their meat. But the main reason is that, unlike hunters in other countries, Americans are not allowed to sell their own wild game meat. The "wild game" on our restaurant menus isn't wild—it's farm-raised, or else the chef is breaking laws that ban such sales. The laws were passed as part of a campaign in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to end the devastation of wild populations by commercial hunters.

(Disclaimer: I didn't read the article)

Game farms here in the US have been accused of introducing diseases such as CWD into the wild population, so I agree that the farmed game meat business stinks.

The problem with trying to change the laws that forbid hunters from selling meat stems from the fact that these laws are seen as having been extremely successful. It is not unlike your state's refusal to allow the hunting of females in spite of the fact that this is probably the best thing that could be done for the state's deer herd.

A good article

Interestingly here in New Zealand we aren't allowed to sell wild venison either ......

You can use it to help feed the hungry.The payback from doing this is much greater than any dollar amount can express.

There are problems across the nation to varying degrees with the Hunters For The Hungry program. In Texas, the hunters have to pay for the processing and in the more rural areas, the processors can not handle the volume of meat.

Someone can correct me on this if they have better info, but a few years back some guys from Pennsylvania that I shared an elk camp with, stated that Pa. had shut down the Hunters For The Hungry Program because of concerns that had been raised since the meat was not government inspected.

I really do not know if that is a fact or not, but the guys telling it were from Pa. and seemed sure of their information.

This is an interesting subject.

As said in the article, there is precident for legally selling natural resources. Trappers can sell the fur they catch, commerical fishing is a big industry as is timber harvesting. What makes game meat any different?

It was UNCONTROLLED market hunting that decimated game populations in the 19th century. This doesn't have to happen with licensing and appropriate regulation (seasons, limits etc.)

On the other hand I wonder if there is a viable market for wild venison in this country. I do agricultural deer damage control and have problems giving the carcasses away for free. Would upscale restaurants be willing to risk their reputations serving uninspected venison from unknown sources?

How could the buyer be sure of consistant quality? Would there be enough serious hunters out there to make setting up an appropriate inspection and distribution system worthwhile? These days, I kind of doubt it.

Consider the decline of trapping. There aren't as many trappers as there used to be because fur prices are so low.

USDA will never allow the sale to consumers of hunter killed meat

quote:

Originally posted by Bigasanelk:
Would upscale restaurants be willing to risk their reputations serving uninspected venison from unknown sources?

How could the buyer be sure of consistant quality?

I'm sorry and I will apologize in advance... But give me a break! Do you mean to tell me that a chef cannot detect the quality of the meat he is buying?! Sheesh!

Here donating deer at the butcher shop enters you for a raffle for a rifle.

quote:

USDA will never allow the sale to consumers of hunter killed meat

That folks is the real honest answer.

If the Government can not find a way to exercise some control or revenue from an activity it simply won't be permitted. Plus there is a segment of the general population that would/will fight against such activities based solely on the fact that the meat would not be USDA inspected, even though they themselves would not buy such meat.

The issue that most chef/restaurant owners would have with buying venison would be quality control. There is no way for the chef to know how long it took to gut, drag, skin, and then process the meat, not to mention at which temp these all took place. Meat in the 'danger zone' for too long then becomes a liability for the restaurant and a potential danger to the consumer. USDA inspection generally guarantees that a animal carcass is cooled as quickly as possible after slaughter. It also ensures that the process is completed in a sanitary environment.

quote:

The issue that most chef/restaurant owners would have with buying venison would be quality control. There is no way for the chef to know how long it took to gut, drag, skin, and then process the meat, not to mention at which temp these all took place. Meat in the 'danger zone' for too long then becomes a liability for the restaurant and a potential danger to the consumer. USDA inspection generally guarantees that a animal carcass is cooled as quickly as possible after slaughter. It also ensures that the process is completed in a sanitary environment.

With all due respect, which rock have you been living under? If you honestly believe USDA inspections prevent food poisoning from spoiled meat or preclude unsanitary processing conditions, I would humbly submit that you are rather naïve...

Yep, you are 100% correct, I live under a rock. I worked one year with Jenny-O and another year and a half in a meat packing plant. Not to mention the 6 years as a chef. No inspector that I have ever worked with has let spoiled meat leave the plant nor have they allowed proper sanitation to go unchecked. In fact, FDA compliance ensures mitigates the risk. Maybe they let stuff slide in TX, but I have yet to see it in any any place I have worked at or inspected for my restaurant.