Wild-shot deer meat trial starts but hunters ask: Is it a trial?

The two-year trial sees authorised hunters heading out into Tasmanian landscapes to shoot wild deer and sell the carcases to an authorised processor.

An interim review will be released after 12 months, looking at whether the wild-shot deer meat can meet contemporary food safety standards, whether there is a demand for wild shot deer product and the impacts on wild deer management and the deer farm industry.

But Tasmanian Deer Advisory Committee chairman Andrew Winwood said scant detail exists about the finer details of the trial.

Mr Winwood said they had asked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE) for information about the trial, including how meat residue sampling of the wild deer meat would be independently conducted, but had fallen on deaf ears.

He said he believed one authorised processor and up to 10 commercial purpose licences were authorised for the wild deer trial up to 12 months ago.

"We can't seem to get any information out of NRE or the government about what grade of deer are going to be harvested, how many deer are going to be taken in the trial, or who is going to be doing the independent assessments," Mr Winwood said.

"Fallow deer meat has never been harvested from the wild in Tasmania for commercial use. I would have thought that the scrutiny over the pesticide residue would have been front and centre," he said.

"It makes us concerned that this process is not open and transparent."

Mr Winwood added that one of the aims of the trial was to evaluate the potential of wild deer meat for the regulated food and restaurant industry.

He asked, "which restaurant is this meat going to be trialled in?"

The trial officially began April 3 and will continue for two years.

Primary Industries and Water Minister Jo Palmer said on Monday that the trial to assess the commercial use of wild-shot deer for the food trade was being run as part of the Tasmanian Wild Fallow Deer Management Plan.

"With about 20,000 deer being taken annually through property protection permits, this commercial use trial is looking to create new industries that will support economic growth in our regional communities," Ms Palmer said.

"The trial is the first of its kind focused on wild shot deer in Tasmania and will be evaluated by independent experts."

An independent consultant will officially look at whether wild-shot deer meat can meet food safety standards, which will include an assessment of agricultural chemical residues, and what the royalty payments on wild deer carcases should be.

It will also look at the impacts of the industry on recreational hunters, deer farmers and farmers.

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