Benio Farms co-owner Peter McIntyre said his family began milking red deer about a decade ago.
Up to 160 deer were milked at peak production.
The milk was supplied to Pāmu, the brand name of state-owned enterprise Landcorp Farming.
Pāmu had told them they did not require any deer milk this season.
‘‘After doing it for 10 years it has been quite good to have a break. It is a huge amount of work,’’ Mr McIntyre said.
Deer were also run on Benio Farms for velvet and venison production and as trophy animals to supply game parks.
He believed deer milk was yet to reach its full market potential.
‘‘It is beautiful milk and that is what has kept us going.’’
If needed, the milking plant remains operational.
‘‘We may do it again next year, it depends on Pāmu.’’
A Pāmu spokesperson said decisions about whether to milk deer were made at the start of each season based on market demand and customer requirements.
For the 2025-26 season, Pāmu decided not to harvest deer milk to balance supply with current demand, which was important in protecting the long-term position of the product.
‘‘Pāmu continues to explore opportunities, and any decision about the 2026-27 season will be made by December based on demand.’’
Past accolades for Pāmu Deer Milk include winning best dairy ingredient at the World Dairy Innovation awards in France in 2022, the most novel product at the New Zealand Food Awards and the innovation award at Fieldays, both in 2018.
