Unlike the rest of Europe, Norway has no history of keeping deer in parks, but we know that red deer were kept as semi-domesticated animals on the coast of Nordland in the Middle-Ages. During the first part of the 20th century, Fallow deer were imported from Europe to a few locations.Later some animals have crossed the border from Sweden into southeast Norway.

In Norway people became seriously interested in deer farming in the early 1980s, just after New Zealand’s success in this area became known. The first deer-farm was established in 1984, and in 1988 Norsk Hjorteavlsforening (NHF - Norwegian Deer Farmers Association) was founded. Today in 2010, the NHF has a total of 100 members. There are 80 deer farms, about 85% of which raise Red deer and 15% raise Fallow deer. The average deer-farm has a herd of about 35 female deer. In 2009 deer farmers were responsible for providing the Norwegian marked with nearly 110 tons of venison. In addition Norwegian hunters cull more than 35 000 wild Red deer every year, providing another 1500 tons. Since Norwegians eat morethan 200.000 tons of meat per year, Norwegian deer farming has great potential. The NHF aims at producing 1000 tons of venison five years from now.

Deer farming is a growing business in Norway, but will hardly become a big industry. The policies of the Norwegian Government regarding deer farming have become increasingly more favorable in recent years, a fact that will help to increase the number of farms in Norway.

The NHF is currently working with the authorities to develop a program, a sort of ISO- standard legislation that will help the authorities to apply regulations uniformly throughout the different counties in Norway. It will also be a good help for farmers in producing quality products. The NHF promotes improvements in deer farming and coordinates regulations relating to animal welfare and breeding. In connection with government’s annual agricultural settlement, the NHF lobbies for increased settlements and favourable policies for deer farming. The NHF also publishes NHF-news four times a year, and runs a web-page, www.hjorteavl.org. The annual general meeting aims to gather all deer farmers in Norway, and is located in different parts of the country, and sometimes abroad. It is always combined with seminars and courses.

In 2009, steaks from one of our red deer farms, Loiten Hjorteoppdrett, won a prestigious national competition for best meat of all kind, of the year.

The Norwegian Red Deer Centre, www.hjortesentret.no, is a private resource centre for everyone interested in Red deer, whether they are farmed or wild. Managing director Johan Trygve Solheim (past president FEDFA) is webmaster of the FEDFA website.

National Representatives Norway