Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of distributing venison produced as a result of deer culling to food banks and other initiatives which support people in food poverty.

The Government published the Deer Impacts Policy Statement on 20 February 2026. The statement sets out actions to reduce the negative impacts deer have on the environment. This includes developing the venison supply chain. Defra is working with relevant sectors to improve the quality and consistency of wild venison supply into the human and other relevant food chains, including exploring where more wild venison can be offered as a sustainable meat option through our public procurement networks. Defra is also providing further funding towards wild venison collection and storage through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.

This has been informed by learning gained through projects such as the Natural England Sussex Woods Protected Site Strategy pilot, which worked with food security charities to distribute venison mince procured as a byproduct of deer that were being managed to preserve the biodiversity in and around the protected sites in the area. Other organisations, such as the Country Food Trust, are already using venison to supply food banks and community kitchens.