Let’s set the record straight on raising fallow deer in Washington state (“Deer love struck by bird,” Whidbey News-Times, Oct. 7).

In the mid 1990s raising fallow deer for venison in Washington state was legal. There was a slaughterhouse in Mount Vernon that was set up to process the animals for retail and restaurants. The facility had made major renovations to do this. Markets were created and hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent to raise and market the lean and healthy venison. There was an association to develop markets. All products were USDA inspected.

Things went along well for several years.

The governor of Washington at this time was Booth Gardner. He had a wife that for some reason took a disliking to venison farming. This was told to the association members more than once. The Department of Fish and Wildlife was pressured to come up with a reason to stop venison farming in Washington.

The department went so far as to claim the fallow deer could escape and interbreed with the native deer of Washington, which was proved wrong by a professor from the U.W. As the professor stated it would be like trying to breed a flower with a pig!

The only thing the Department of Wildlife could come up with was to concoct a moratorium on moving the animals to slaughter. Since this was illegal no one could market their products.

Well, as we all know, if you can’t sell your products you are going to go broke.

The largest farmers got together and filed a suit against the state of Washington. Most people in this state have no knowledge of the $30 million that was paid to the farmers; it was kept very quiet by the administration.

The idea that fallow deer could escape and spread disease to the native wildlife is possible but highly unlikely, I raised fallow deer for 13 years and never had a sick animal. The law is just a blue law still on the books from the Mrs. Booth Gardner era.

Larry E. Ogle

Coupeville