Wild venison to replace beef in some of the UK’s most iconic sports and entertainment venues

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Some great news for Great British Game Week is that Levy, the hospitality partner to the UK’s most iconic sports and entertainment venues, is pioneering a landmark sustainable shift in stadium catering by replacing beef with British wild venison.

The move will take place at over 20 venues across the UK and Ireland, including Premier League football clubs, Brentford FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, plus the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with the potential to reduce emissions by 85% and save up to 1,182 tonnes of CO₂e annually.

It is the start of a wider campaign by Levy to champion wild venison. At the heart of the move is replacing 54 tonnes of beef burgers with Levy’s ‘Game On’ Signature Wild Venison Burger. This initiative is a massive boost for British wild venison and an entirely new market helping to reduce the sectors reliance on exports to the EU.

Having made its debut at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium at the start of this year’s Premier League season, the wild venison burger is being rolled out across Levy-catered venues nationally as part of its long-term strategy to remove high-carbon impact beef from its menus. Not only that, using British wild venison is helping to reduce the ecological impact that an over population of deer can have in certain parts of the UK.

Tim Weston, the NGO's Director of Environment, Policy and Politics said: "This is such a positive step, to have British wild venison for sale at football and sports stadiums is wonderful. It will encouage people who would not normally consider venison as an everyday staple to add it to their shopping basket. Even if that is at an event like a premier league football match, it is a very significant step forward"

James Beale, Head of Sustainability and Community at Brentford FC, said: “At Brentford FC, we are constantly seeking ways in which to improve both our sustainability practices and the matchday experience for fans. Our supporters have been impressed with the new high-quality offering this season, and we are pleased to be working with Levy on this project as we continue to champion sustainable change as a club.”

At the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, close to 5,500 wild venison burgers have been sold in just one month, including at the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, demonstrating that stadiums can make meaningful, sustainable changes without compromising the fan experience or rate of sales.

The NGO are fully behind this venture and would encourage outlets to expand the range into pheasant and partridge too. Tim Weston said about further opportunities "just imagine a pheasant burger replacing chicken and partridge nuggets available in all major sports stadiums".

It shows that with a little imagination there are new and exciting markets in the UK for wild British food.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation: The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. The NGO defends and promotes gamekeeping and gamekeepers and works to ensure high standards throughout the profession. The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that keepering was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. Today, there are 13,000 members of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation.  www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk