Irish people need to start eating more venison to help control the deer population, the Irish Deer Society has argued. 

Following the extinction of wolves in Ireland many centuries ago, deer no longer have any natural predators - except man. 

It means if they are not culled, their population grows exponentially, with devastating consequences for the biodiversity around them. 

On Lunchtime Live, Peter Windsor of the Irish Deer Society said eating more venison is one way Irish people can create a more sustainable environment. 

 “I don't think there's any doubt in anybody's mind that this has been a longstanding sustainable resource that is really, really underrated in the country,” he said. 

“And the fact that it's not being used is really lacking in foresight; the open market is there for venison.” 

European wolves feeding on a fallow deer in Germany. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Despite this, Mr Windsor added that the market for venison was held back by a myriad of red tapes “from the powers that be” that made it hugely difficult for hunters to sell what they have shot. 

“The actual hunter himself, he's not allowed to actually sell the deer carcass himself,” Mr Windsor said. 

“He has to either provide it to a game dealer or on his open license, there’s a Department of Agriculture initiative on their own license.

“There's just so many things like refrigeration, disposing of offal; there's so many things between the time the deer is actually shot to the time it appears on the shelf in the supermarket.”

A red deer at Killarney National Park in County Kerry. Picture by: Robertharding / Alamy

While some may recoil at the idea of hunting wild animals, Mr Windsor said it was vital given the recent increase in the deer population. 

“Over the last five to six years, particularly over COVID, the deer population exploded,” he explained. 

“There are a lot of huge initiatives in the background there, trying to get the deer population brought down to sustainable numbers again.

“The venison market really has to be the biggest one because if hunters - and particularly game dealers - don't get the right price per kilo at the door, the deer population, unfortunately, won't decrease as it should.”

In the 12 months between March 2022 and February 2023, a record 78,175 deer were culled in Ireland.

Main image: A split of a deer and venison meat. Pictures by: Rolling News and Alamy.