Animal welfare standards in red deer (Cervus elaphus) farming

Miroslav I Urošević,Bruno Esattore,Nenad Stojanac,Laura Saggiomo,Zoran A Ristić

doi:10.46784/e-avm.v11i2.22

Abstract

In the last decades, significant interest of consumers in game meat and products has reflected in the worldwide development of wild animal farming. Among the different farmed species, the Red deer (Cervus elaphus) takes an important place, being farmed in several different countries around the world and in most countries within the European Union. In this regard, the European Union has promulgated laws and regulations aimed at defining and organizing this business as well as ensuring the welfare of the animals. So far, relevant data on this topic are not available in Serbia probably due to the lack of deer farms across the country. In this paper, we will review the major issues related to Red deer keeping (i.e., housing, feeding and watering practices, management and handling, transport and velvet harvest) and give the proposals as a basic guideline principles for future Red deer farming in Serbia.

Highlights

The development of deer farming in the worldThe Red deer (Cervus elaphus) population has significantly increased in Europe during the last decades, both in population density and in areas occupied (Milner et al, 2006)
We expect that the above mentioned list of requirements will meet the needs in Serbia as it had already happened in other European countries (i.e. Austria, United Kingdom) and it will result in proposing the appropriate guidelines for the future Serbian deer farmers
The low labor regime for deer farming means that it can compare to other livestock and arable enterprises

Summary

Introduction

The development of deer farming in the worldThe Red deer (Cervus elaphus) population has significantly increased in Europe during the last decades, both in population density and in areas occupied (Milner et al, 2006). The development of deer farming in the world. The increasing interest of consumers in the so-called “free-range products” is reflected in the worldwide development of wild animal farming (Piasentier et al, 2005). According to the last reports (Kotrba, 2014), more than 10,000 deer-farming operations exist in several countries of the EU (European Union), counting about 300.000 animals. Apart from the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), which has been the most widely bred deer species in many Northern countries for the last two thousand years (Clutton-Brock, 1987), the most common species housed in modern deer farms is surely the Red deer (Reinken, 1990; Bartos and Siler, 1993). We hereby present a scientific investigation and short analysis of the existing legislation in two countries of the European Union, making a summary of the available regulation and research documents concerning the establishment, functioning and management of deer farms

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion