We the undersigned Tasmanian farmers believe changes need to be made to deer management in Tasmania. Tasmania currently imports a significant quantity of wild fallow deer meat from inter-state to meet domestic demand. The Tasmanian deer population is increasing despite the issue of over 15,000 crop protection tags per annum, a large percentage of which are not used. (2017 Legislative Council Govt. Administration Committee Report on Fallow Deer)

We would like to support a change to the current system that would enable an allocation of crop protection tags to be issued for the commercial harvest of Tasmanian fallow deer for domestic consumption.

Changes to the system would achieve the following:

• · Enable farmers greater choice in the management of feral deer on their properties – Farmers can choose an appropriate mix of recreational and commercial shooters to best suit their agricultural pest management practices.
• · Socially acceptable and sustainable utilisation of a natural resource – reduction of deer being killed and their meat going to waste.

We request the Tasmanian government to allow commercial use of feral deer in order to deliver to us improved capacity to manage deer damage to our assets and decrease the current waste of an inherent natural resource.