Post velvet antler harvest experience

Velvet antler removal is a unique, regulated surgical procedure that occurs on deer farms across New Zealand. Maintaining or increasing high standards of animal care and welfare are critical to ensure New Zealand deer farmers maintain their social license to remove velvet antler as a farmed product.

Expectations of animal welfare standards have increased for all livestock farming and ensuring that procedures that are utilised on-farm meet these expectations is an essential part of maintaining that social license to farm. As new technologies are developed and further understanding of animal welfare increases it is important for the New Zealand Deer Industry to ensure that procedures are both up-to-date and reflect consumer and public expectations. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of velvet antler removal on animals’ post-harvest experience to add to the current knowledge in this area.

Report Number 12379