European perspectives on the public health risks posed by farmed game mammals

As consumers have become aware of the health risks associated with the high levels of saturated fats present in conventional red meats, an interest in new domesticants has developed. Meat from these species represents the only sector of the European red meat industry which is currently experiencing growth. The production of meat from grazing animals other than cattle and sheep is not subsidised within the European Union (EU), so that despite the fact that game farming for meat exists in all the Member States, much of the farmed game meat consumed within Europe is imported from the rapidly developing deer farming industry in New Zealand. Less severely regulated industries world-wide also export a great variety of wild game into Europe, but health controls and labelling do not permit the consumer to discriminate between wild and farmed produce, or even between species or countries of origin. This paper describes the scale of game farming within Europe, and the quantities of game imported. The author reviews the diverse production systems in different regions of Europe and the various harvesting systems, including the present measures enforced for veterinary public health reasons, and considers the threats posed by the zoonoses known to affect game mammals and the public health risks posed by contamination. An explanation is given of the differences between the production and processing of farmed and wild game.