Buying cheap venison could cost you dear
Restaurant owners are putting customers at risk of food poisoning by buying illegally killed venison from poachers who turn up at the back door, say authorities.
The National Game Dealers' Association (NGDA) and Devon and Cornwall police warned this week that the 14,000 wild deer poached each year are often inexpertly butchered in the open field, and the meat is thus vulnerable to food-poisoning bacteria.
The association warned: "So many restaurants and pubs are willing to accept a poacher who turns up at the back door. This undermines efforts to ensure the meat is safe."
Caterers are not the only people tempted by cheap cuts. From March, Devon and Cornwall police plan a crackdown on game dealers who fail to keep records tracing the origins of deer carcasses.
Chefs are urged to buy their venison from reputable, licensed game dealers where carcasses are inspected for disease and contamination before entering the food chain.
Deer poaching has accelerated over the past few years to cash in on growing consumer demand for venison in the wake of the BSE scare, said the NGDA. Organised criminal gangs with hi-tech equipment can make between £1,000 and £2,000 for a night's work.
