A Cornish farm is the first in the world to have its venison certified for animal welfare by A Greener World.

West Country Premium Venison is produced at a family farm near Launceston.

The resident herd of deer have now been 'Certified Animal Welfare Approved', 'Certified Grassfed' and 'Certified Non-GMO' by A Greener World (AGM).

The farm's lamb from New Zealand Romney sheep has also achieved the same distinctions.

This is the first farm globally to be certified to AGW's new animal welfare approved deer standards.

Pip and Matt Smith launched West Country Premium Venison in December 2019.

The farm has been in Pip’s family since 1703 and the couple took over the running of it together from her parents in 2014 with a flock of roughly 1,100 sheep.

Matt said: "In a market that is increasingly opaque, we are committed to providing our customers with confidence in the provenance and quality of our lamb and venison products.

"It can be difficult to know for sure exactly where your food comes from—especially in the game industry.

"We take great care to ensure responsible practices and complete traceability from farm to processing, demonstrating this dedication through our third-party certifications from A Greener World.

"We know what goes into our lamb and venison and our certifications ensure our customers do as well. We enjoy being able to share the same healthy, high-quality food that we eat at home, and our customers appreciate it.”

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The 'Certified Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) by AGW' label verifies animals are raised outdoors on pasture in accordance with world-renowned welfare standards using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent farm.

The deer at West Country Premium Venison are also 'Certified Grassfed by AGW'. This label is the only grassfed label to guarantee a 100 per cent grassfed diet, audited annually to ensure farms are meeting rigorous animal welfare standards.

AGW UK/Europe executive director Wayne Copp said: "We are thrilled to welcome West Country Premium Venison to our growing family of farms in the UK and Europe, and together celebrate the launch of A Greener World’s very first Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW farmed deer.

"It has never been more critical for farmers to be fully understood by consumers, and we are honoured to support this though uncomplicated, independent and credible certification marques for labelling that can be trusted to deliver.”