Hoddy's Venison, Protecting our landscapes and feeding your dogs too. Win, Win!

The United Kingdom is home to six species of wild deer which inhabit a wide range of habitats in rural, suburban and coastal areas. The last two years have seen a dramatic rise in their numbers, partly due to a pause in culling during the pandemic.  There are now roughly two million deer in Britain, with the population expanding by some 600,000 every year between May and June.

As a small island, there isn’t any new territory that deer can expand into and so this sharp increase in numbers has a negative impact on both the environment and on the deer themselves.

While deer are an integral part of our landscape, a high deer population results in overgrazed land which not only creates more uniform habitats but also has a negative impact on biodiversity. For example, woodland birds, including nightingales, warblers and tits, are affected when deer graze on woodland vegetation as this habitat is vital for nesting and foraging. Not only does this reduce bird numbers but the wider environment suffers as there are less birds to disperse seeds and pollinate plants.

Too many deer can also mean crops are damaged when deer are forced to look outside of their natural habitat for food. Sapling trees are also at risk, damaging the regeneration and expansion of our woodlands.

The deer themselves are under threat too when numbers become too high. Deer cause up to 74,000 road traffic accidents a year, with the associated danger to human health that brings. Deer also suffer from competition for food, resulting in loss of body condition and resulting poor health.

The only way to prevent this is by responsibly controlling the deer population. With a lack of any natural predator, such as wolves, bears and lynxes, an annual deer cull is required. When carried out by skilled and trained deer stalkers, this is an effective and humane method of controlling the booming deer population. It also provides a ready source of organic, healthy venison.

We wanted your dogs to be able to benefit from this sustainable and healthy meat that is truly wild. Venison is currently an underused resource and we want to help change that. As the latest addition to our offering, our wild British venison kibble gives your dog a tasty meal with a sustainable and lean source of protein that’s rich in zinc and iron. It also has a lower carbon footprint that most farmed meats. Even better, wild venison provides our dogs with brilliant nutrition too!

Try it here