Keeping deer and land in balance.
What is the Lake District Wild Venison brand?
Lake District Wild Venison adds value to responsibly managed wild venison through trusted provenance, local identity and a recognised mark of sustainable landscape management.
The Lake District Wild Venison brand is a mark of provenance and best practice.
Four core principles
The principles that guide every decision on how Lake District Wild Venison is managed, handled and shared.
Led by the landscape
Deer management responds to the needs of the land, protecting woodland regeneration, farming and biodiversity.
This is about long term ecological balance across the English Lake District. Management is shaped by habitats, species, evidence and local knowledge.
Respect our deer species
Deer are wild animals and part of the Lake District ecosystem.
Species are managed with skill, training and care. Careful selection. Humane practice.
Respect begins in the field and continues through handling, processing and preparation.
Science and nature led
Nature is never static.
We observe, record and respond to what the landscape is telling us.
Deer populations and their impact are monitored and management adapts accordingly.
This is evidence led stewardship, not fixed targets or short term demand.
From fell to food
If a deer is taken it must be valued.
Where possible the whole animal is used and waste reduced. Clear and accountable supply from stalker to
processor to butcher to chef.
Venison is part of a living food culture, from traditional recipes to modern kitchens.
Respect continues all the way to the plate.
How can I use the Lake District Wild Venison brand?
To use the brand you must meet the required standards for deer management, traceability and product quality may use the brand.
You must demonstrate that you:
- Source wild venison from within the Lake District National Park.
- Follow Best Practice Guidance on Deer Management and comply with all relevant legislation.
- Manage deer as part of an evidence led programme that supports healthy landscapes and biodiversity.
- Use suitably qualified deer stalkers.
- Hold current British Assured Wild Venison (BAWV) certification.
- Maintain full traceability from landscape to final product.
- Use the brand in accordance with guidelines.
Approval to use the brand may be reviewed periodically and may be withdrawn where these standards are no longer met.
To share your expression of interest of using the brand please complete a short form.
Lake District Wild Venison brand toolkit
Approved organisations will be provided with a Lake District Venison brand toolkit to help tell the story consistently and confidently, and show a mark of trust, linking the landscape, the people and the final product. The toolkit includes:
- Brand guidelines
- Trademarked Lake District Wild Venison logo
- Access to photography and videography
- Icons and illustrations
- Message guidance
- Templates for point of sale materials, promotional and social media
