The Deer Farmers' Association says its members are feeling more confident after hearing the industry's plans at this week's conference for giving the venison trade a shot in the arm.
Demand and prices for New Zealand venison have been under pressure, especially in Europe where it is having to compete with cheaper local deer meat.
Association chair Kris Orange says members are heartened by the decision of the main exporters to work together in marketing venison under a single brand, Cervena, in some European markets and in China.
"We've got five of the venison marketing companies at this stage that have agreed to use the Cervena brand, so that there's no other brand on the package, so they're marketing that as one group. So that's a big step for us."
"It's still very early days yet but as you can appreciate, getting those five companies to agree to some sort of collaboration is a big feat on its own. They end up with probably 80 to 85 percent of the venison."
