Velvet draws half of deer earnings

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 371, 29 January 1991, Page 9

Velvet draws half of deer earnings

B Y DONNA MCGRATH. Back in spring Waimarino deer were out and about with a full head of antlers. The only thing between them and the freedom of the wilderness remained the two metre high fences that keep them being farm animals.

Out of their captivity comes velvet which accounts for more that half of New Zealand's deer industry exports. Velvet is exported mostly to Korea for traditional medicines. The New Zealand deer industry earnings to the year ended June 1990 were $84 million, up 30 per cent on the previous year - velvet contributing 51 per cent on the latest year's total against 38 per cent the year before. Mustering for velvet begins in NovemberDecember. The stage at which the velvet is cut is crucial. If it is cut too

early there is loss of weight for the deer. If too late, there is risk of down-grading the velvet. Both would reduce income from the velvet operation. Velvet maturing changes very rapidly, taking approximateiy 55-65 days to grow after casting. After an antler is mature and the stag approaches optimum cutting stage it increases in length by about 1cm and in weight by about 50 grams each day. On an A grade antler at 89-90 prices this means the value is raising by $10 per day. Cutting at precisely the

right time can therefore make a substantial difference to velvet returns. Mustering for velvet should not be carried out when temperatures are high as this will cause unnecessary stress on the stags. Velvet cutting must be undertaken in accordance with the Animal Protection Act, which requires that analgesics (painkillers) be used. Animal welfare is of utmost importance in any velveting operation. A local anaesthetic is applied either as a nerve block to the two nerves supplying each antler, or as a ring block saturating the tissues about the base of the antler. Tourniquets are applied to the pedicle to prevent haemorrhage of the large blood vessel that supplies the antler. Thc antler is sawn off

approximateiy 10mm above the antler pedicle junction. Blood clotting in a large stag is about 30 minutes. Once it is cut the velvet is frozen quickly and is treated as an edible product of high value, in fact it is worth $200 per kilogram compared to steak at $15/kg. Due to the high value of velvet there has been an increasing incidence of velvet thefts, so now the velvet is sold off as quickly as possible to field buyers and velvet pools. Over recent years farmers have taken greater interest in velvet production. To retain New Zealand's present share of the velvet market, as well as the guarantied high prices for the producer, the highest possible quality has to be achieved.