The farming of deer as an alternative to traditional livestock
enterprises is now firmly established and is expanding within several
countries of the European Economic Community. However, the successful
farming of deer requires the adoption of appropriate management schemes
to accommodate the biological requirements of these animals. Much
experience has now been gained and it is essential that this information
becomes readily available througout the Community. In addition, as the
volume of deer farming has increased a number of health problems have
become recognised which present features distinct from other domestic
ruminants. Although knowledge is still incomplete it would appear that
deer may react to certain pathogens in a very different way to other
domestic ruminants, presenting new problems of diagnosis and control.
The rapid detection of these conditions and development of appropriate
control strategies will be essential for the establishment of an
economically viable deer farming industry in the Community. Much of the
information on the management of farmed deer and their diseases is
anecdotal and fragmented and the purpose of this meeting was to
accelerate the dissemination of this knowledge between scientists in the
Community committed to the development of this area of agricultural
industry. The meeting, financed by the Commission of the European
Communities from its budget for the Coordination of Agricultural
Research in the Community was held in Scotland, on the 10th to 11th
December, 1987.