Skip to main content

Story: Deer and deer farming

Nutritional comparison of venison

Image
Nutritional comparison of venison

A leg cut of farmed venison is nutritionally similar to lamb, and has lower kilojoules, cholesterol and fat than skinless chicken thigh. New Zealand farm-raised deer are free-range fed to produce a tender, mild meat, and only receive steroids and antibiotics when injured. All deer slaughtered for export are three years or younger to ensure the consistent size, flavour, texture and taste of the meat.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Nelofar Athar and others, The concise New Zealand food composition tables, 7th ed. Palmerston North: New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research; Wellington: Ministry for Health, 2006, pp. 51–57.

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Ken Drew, Deer and deer farming – Venison production, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/16051/nutritional-comparison-of-venison (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Ken Drew, published 1 March 2009.