Deer farming for venison involves unique welfare challenges given the species' wild nature and strong flight responses. Management approaches must accommodate these characteristics.
Farmed deer welfare requires recognising that these animals remain physiologically and behaviourally close to their wild relatives. The flight response that makes them prey animals is not eliminated by domestication, and management that triggers this response causes genuine welfare harm. Capture myopathy, which can kill deer following severe stress, is the clearest example of how mishandling can have fatal welfare consequences. Low-stress handling systems designed specifically for deer, appropriate veterinary care, and careful transport management are essential components of welfare-positive deer farming.