My experience over many years working full time with deer as a farmer and a vet in Britain and overseas makes me uniquely well qualified to answer questions about deer especially those in deer parks or on farms.
Among many private and commercial landowners around the world, clients have included the British Royal Parks and Crown Estates, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and the President of the United Arab Emirates.
We have always worked in deer parks and with the publication of my book Gardens of Earthly Delight - The History of Deer Parks in 2011, the provision of advice has increased.
A particular aspect of this has been our involvement in breeding white red deer and the supply of these animals to new deer parks in collaboration with Brett Graham the head chef and proprietor of the Ledbury restaurant in Notting Hill, London. With Brett we have established unique white red deer herds at Aynhoe Park and for the Duke of Buccleuch at Boughton, both in Northamptonshire.
Our experience with captive red and fallow deer over many decades makes us particularly well qualified to assist in the provision of advice to park owners and managers and we have worked with most of the historic English deer parks including the provision of red deer from Balmoral for the re-establishment of the red deer herd at Windsor. We have also worked extensively in the new deer park at Gunton in Norfolk and in the establishment of several new deer parks for Anton Bilton including those at Adderbury and Tyringham.
As a veterinarian working solely with deer and as the first commercial deer farmer in Europe we are uniquely placed to provide advice to new and established deer farmers.
Reediehill deer farm has played a crucial role in the development of deer farming in the UK and Europe from the late 1970s and our advice and consultancy has led to the establishment of deer farming enterprises in the UK, Europe, USA, the Far East and New Zealand. Reediehill was awarded the Queen’s Award for Export in 1990 following the establishment of deer farms in Japan.
Over the past few years this advice has been provided through a collaboration with Dick Playfair and Alan Sneddon trading as the Venison Advisory Service Ltd. (VAS) based in Scotland. Some twenty new deer farms have been established in Scotland through VAS to cater for the well documented growth in demand for venison. Although the main source of venison is from the wild deer cull, the volume from the wild is static and growth in demand can only be met by growing the volume of farmed deer. The new deer farms in Scotland are substantial by UK standards with many projected to reach 500 to 1000 hinds.
