Scientific advancements extolled at deer event

The science progressing the deer industry was celebrated in Dunedin last week.

The 11th International Deer Biology Congress was held in Dunedin for four days ending on Friday.

As part of the congress, about 130 delegates attended a field trip at deer farm Puketapu Park near Palmerston.

Northern Southland deer farmer David Stevens gave his perspective on how research had impacted the industry since he bought his first deer in the late 1970s.

"If it wasn’t for the institutes like Invermay and the University of Otago and their scientists, the industry would have moved on but it wouldn’t be what it is today."

Tuberculosis was a massive issue for deer farmers in the 1980s, he said.

"It was the industry’s cancer in some ways and some deer farmers pulled out."

More than 400 herds were infected in New Zealand in the early 1990s, including some hinds he bought from Canterbury.

Testing revealed deer on his farm needed to be slaughtered, which cost his farm business about $100,000. A wait for test results was "like hell".

The change from a skin test to a blood test to detect the disease was a "game-changer".

"About 50% of every meeting you went to in those days was about tuberculosis. Now you go to a meeting and it’s not discussed."

Now there was one herd of deer "under movement control" due to tuberculosis in New Zealand.

Johne’s disease in deer was also a "real major" for the industry and impacted productivity.

Blood testing technology helped the industry in a big way, he said.

The development of a snip test for tracking genomic information and the introduction of estimated breeding values were also game changers.

The outcomes of scientific advancements allowed him to breed stags capable of producing eight times more velvet than when he entered the industry, he said.

"The research has had a huge impact over the years."

Rural Livestock deer manager Adam Whaanga, of Mosgiel, talked to delegates about how to score hard antlers by measuring every point.

He scored the hard antler on farmers’ deer to sell them on to game farms in New Zealand.

The game farm operators liked deer with trophy heads with width and length, rather than mass, he said.

A trophy deer with an antler measuring between 840cm and 890cm sold to a game park for about $2500.

Prices ranged up to $300,000.

James Oliver gave delegates a demonstration of the crush at Puketapu Park, his family farm, which runs only red deer, about 1200 velvet stags and 600 hinds, across 500ha.

When the new crush arrived, it was bigger and slower moving than the crush it replaced, but it was fit for purpose, Mr Oliver said.

"It does the job."

shawn.mcavinue@alliedmedia.co.nz