HL Deb 24 October 1983 vol 444 c124WA
Lord Northfield

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider it acceptable that frozen venison should be imported from New Zealand, where the mainstay of the deer farming industry is the harvesting of antlers in velvet, a practice now prohibited by law in the United Kingdom on welfare grounds.

Lord Belstead

The practice of antler velveting in New Zealand is a matter for that country's Government. There were no imports of venison from New Zealand during the years 1979–1982. To date, 203 kg have been imported during 1983.