Quality assurance issues
The Quality Assured Farmed Venison scheme (QAFV) is well established in the UK as a tool to assist market development and differentiate farmed venison from imported and wild venison. Farms and processors receive regular independent inspections to ensure they meet the scheme’s high standards.’
The purpose of the scheme is to demonstrate that:
- the deer farming industry is credible and sustainable in commercial and environmental terms
- it has a responsible attitude to health, welfare and hygiene
- it’s producers are prepared to be accountable for their farming and meat processing practices.
The standards:
- encourage producers and processors to adopt acceptable husbandry and hygiene standards and keep adequate records
- help producers and processors comply with legislation
- provide a system of accountability
- provide full traceability from the farm of origin to the retail meat pack
The aim of the scheme is to:
- increase public awareness of farmed venison and improve the public’s perception
- differentiate farmed venison, and establish and maintain a price premium for home produced farmed venison over imported and wild venison
- promote farmed venison’s high hygiene standards, healthy attributes, good eating qualities and suitability for the modern diet
- establish deer farming as a viable alternative livestock enterprise by developing and expanding the market for farmed venison.
The objective is to establish an independently inspected European QA standard to provide us with the means of communicating this message to our customers. The logo can be modified to reflect the country of origin. For instance Scottish Farmed Venison is sold under this logo. The standards are the same for all countries except where legislation differs. In which case the Manual is modified accordingly.
