The recent article by Nathan Calman is a clear and deliberate distortion of the truth. Fallow deer are not feral, a term that refers to domestic gone wild such as cats, goats, horses, pigs. Deer are a wild animal, an introduced species, but by true definition they are not feral.
Many farmers are reimbursed in numerous ways by recreational hunters, such as significant access fees, free on farm labour and free control of other invasive 'native' species such as wallaby, wombats and possum. Wombats do significant damage to fences and 'feral' cats are a more significant environmental threat in Tasmania, however they receive dis-proportional attention by government. Significant culling of deer has been occurring for years and it is a fact that the cull tags issued to farmers have been undersubscibed in regards to kill rate. If (and it's a big if) the problem is so great then the harvest would (should) have equalled tags issued. The seasonal limit on does harvested has now been lifted and the season extended to nine months with no tagging of does (no tags = inaccurate reporting = zero management). Add aerial culling, opening of reserves to recreational hunting and it is inconceivable that the deer population is continuing to increase.
The commercial harvest of wild Fallow deer (John Kelly, Lenah Game Meats) is now occurring however it should be understood and reported that as with all meat supply the commercial harvest must be regulated in accordance with meat hygeine and food safe guidelines.
Nathan's claim that wild Fallow deer are "costing the state's producers tens of millions of dollars" is unsubstantiated - where is his evidence of this?
Not all landowners are against the presence of our deer, I am one of those landowners who support a regulated, sustainable and well managed herd, properly managed in balance with the habitat. Our deer actually contribute substantially to our economy and in a diverse way. It's not all about the farmers. If we were open to learning, considering alternatives and recognising the benefits that deer, indeed all game, provide across the wider community we would be in a much better position.
There are opportunities to maintain our deer as a partly protected, well regulated and managed species whilst benefiting a wide cross section of our community and our economy. Look and learn from other countries, for example the U.S. Integral to this learning and management is the role and benefits that properly educated and trained "game biologists" contribute. The Tasmanian Fallow Deer Project, facilitated by the Tasmanian Deer Advisory Committee Inc in the mid 1990s, is clear proof of what proper science can and then did achieve.
The wider distribution of deer in Tasmania has occurred not because of some mysterious population explosion but rather due to the incompetence of beaurocrats who approved deer farms outside the 'traditional' deer range and then failed to administer and manage their own policies.
Just like our forestry industry the Tasmanian government has failed to appreciate, understand and properly manage these resources to the benefit of all stakeholders and the economy. However, these issues are not restricted to Tasmania indeed they represent systemic failures by governments Australia wide.