ENGLAND’S deer population has hit two million — a level not seen since the 1066 invasion of William the Conqueror.
Ministers are secretly preparing a mass cull to control numbers roaming the countryside.
The number of deer ballooned in lockdown as restaurants serving venison shut. And non-native deer species muntjac and sika have taken the total number from 450,000 in 1972 to two million.
Proposals to encourage supermarkets to sell more wild venison could see the price come down — offering a cost-of-living healthy meat.
Farmers could also get grants for shooting more deer to boost meat supplies and control the roaming population.
Environment minister Lord Goldsmith is poised to announce a one-month, super-speedy government consultation in the next few weeks.
The proposed “deer management strategy” aims to cut numbers to protect woodlands and at-risk plant species.
Tim Bonner, of the Countryside Alliance, told The Sun: “Greater use of responsibly sourced wild venison as a cheap, healthy meat is entirely possible.”
Source: The Sun
