By Charlene Tebbutt

Saskatchewan posts strong numbers of deer and elk farms

Jul 4, 2018 | 9:23 AM

The numbers may be declining, but Saskatchewan producers are among the largest operators of deer and elk farms in the country.

Approximately 173 producers operate in Saskatchewan, farming deer, elk and reindeer, according to Shelagh Copeland, the manager of regulatory compliance for game farms with the province’s Ministry of Agriculture. The numbers have gone down in recent years, although they remain strong compared to the rest of the country.

Statistics from the federal government show Alberta had 172 deer and elk producers in 2017, while Quebec had 121 and Ontario had 97. Other provinces posted much lower numbers of deer and elk farms, including British Columbia with 12, Manitoba with 28, and the Atlantic provinces with 20.

“The animals can use land that may not be as suitable for other types of livestock, brush and forest and some grass,” Copeland told farmnewsNOW. “Prince Albert is an area where we see game farms, and I would say, more numerous in that northern part of the province.”

Part of the reason for the declining numbers, Copeland said, is due to more operators getting older and retiring. Raising deer, elk and reindeer – which are part of the Cervidae family – requires more regulations and testing for diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease, she added.

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“It’s not like traditional livestock, cattle and sheep and goats, it’s a different type of industry,” Copeland said. “It takes a fair amount of investment and oversight.”

Copeland said consumer demand for products such as venison is still high, and many farms offer hunting and breeding options.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt