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Old Ferry Store on Raasay to Become Island’s First Venison Processing Facility

A disused ferry store on the island of Raasay is being transformed into the island’s first dedicated venison processing facility, part of a wider £750,000 investment helping five Scottish islands work toward carbon neutrality by 2040.

Almost £129,000 has been awarded to convert the former East Suisnish Ferry Pier Store into a solar powered venison production hub. Raasay has also received £78,000 for habitat restoration, including removing invasive species and planting 4,000 native trees.

For the Scottish Venison Association, this is exactly the kind of story that captures why eating Scottish venison matters. Processing venison locally means fewer carcasses need to travel off island, cutting food miles and keeping economic value within the community that manages the land.

Community Led Sustainable Deer Management

The facility is expected to cut carbon emissions by around 136 tonnes a year. It will also create local jobs, deliver butchery training, and support a new “Hill to Plate” education programme with Raasay Primary School, connecting children with sustainable land management and the provenance of their food.

Tom Lusink of Raasay Development Trust said the island’s greatest opportunities for reducing carbon lie within its natural environment, and that sustainable deer management must be part of that picture. The facility builds on the crofting community’s long tradition of managing wild deer, with habitat restoration work targeting invasive species and rebuilding natural carbon stores through active tree planting.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, Gillian Martin, said the funding will help island residents build stronger, more self sufficient communities, showing how climate action can also create jobs and grow local economies. Councillor John Finlayson of Highland Council welcomed the investment as a strong endorsement of Raasay’s ambition, highlighting the training, local contractor support and community wealth it will generate.

Why This Matters for Scottish Venison

This project reflects the core message behind Scottish venison: that eating it is not just a food choice, but an environmental one. Scotland’s wild deer population shapes the health of the country’s habitats, and responsible culling is essential to maintaining that balance in the absence of natural predators. Too often, culled venison has gone to waste because consumer demand hasn’t kept pace with supply.

Local processing facilities like Raasay’s help close that gap, reducing transport emissions, retaining skills and jobs on the island, and creating a direct link between land management and the food on people’s plates. The schools programme extends this further, giving young people early insight into provenance, sustainability and the wider story of wild, native Scottish venison.

Raasay is one of five islands sharing this funding round, alongside Barra, Great Cumbrae, Hoy and Islay, bringing total investment through the Carbon Neutral Islands programme to £4.65 million since 2021. Barra will receive £182,000 for energy storage and heating upgrades, Islay £75,000 for solar and battery storage, Great Cumbrae £144,500 for solar panels across 17 homes, and Hoy £140,000 for solar and battery storage at its community hall.

Together, these projects show island communities taking practical steps toward a lower carbon future. For Scottish Venison, the Raasay facility is a model of what’s possible when sustainable deer management, community ownership and local food production come together, a story we’re proud to share and hope will inspire similar projects across Scotland.

Source: Scottish Government news release, 29 July 2026.

Old Ferry Store on Raasay to Become Island’s First Venison Processing Facility

A disused ferry store on the island of Raasay is being transformed into the island’s first dedicated venison processing facility, part of a wider £750,000 investment helping five Scottish islands work toward carbon neutrality by 2040.

Almost £129,000 has been awarded to convert the former East Suisnish Ferry Pier Store into a solar powered venison production hub. Raasay has also received £78,000 for habitat restoration, including removing invasive species and planting 4,000 native trees.

For the Scottish Venison Association, this is exactly the kind of story that captures why eating Scottish venison matters. Processing venison locally means fewer carcasses need to travel off island, cutting food miles and keeping economic value within the community that manages the land.

Community Led Sustainable Deer Management

The facility is expected to cut carbon emissions by around 136 tonnes a year. It will also create local jobs, deliver butchery training, and support a new “Hill to Plate” education programme with Raasay Primary School, connecting children with sustainable land management and the provenance of their food.

Tom Lusink of Raasay Development Trust said the island’s greatest opportunities for reducing carbon lie within its natural environment, and that sustainable deer management must be part of that picture. The facility builds on the crofting community’s long tradition of managing wild deer, with habitat restoration work targeting invasive species and rebuilding natural carbon stores through active tree planting.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs, Gillian Martin, said the funding will help island residents build stronger, more self sufficient communities, showing how climate action can also create jobs and grow local economies. Councillor John Finlayson of Highland Council welcomed the investment as a strong endorsement of Raasay’s ambition, highlighting the training, local contractor support and community wealth it will generate.

Why This Matters for Scottish Venison

This project reflects the core message behind Scottish venison: that eating it is not just a food choice, but an environmental one. Scotland’s wild deer population shapes the health of the country’s habitats, and responsible culling is essential to maintaining that balance in the absence of natural predators. Too often, culled venison has gone to waste because consumer demand hasn’t kept pace with supply.

Local processing facilities like Raasay’s help close that gap, reducing transport emissions, retaining skills and jobs on the island, and creating a direct link between land management and the food on people’s plates. The schools programme extends this further, giving young people early insight into provenance, sustainability and the wider story of wild, native Scottish venison.

Raasay is one of five islands sharing this funding round, alongside Barra, Great Cumbrae, Hoy and Islay, bringing total investment through the Carbon Neutral Islands programme to £4.65 million since 2021. Barra will receive £182,000 for energy storage and heating upgrades, Islay £75,000 for solar and battery storage, Great Cumbrae £144,500 for solar panels across 17 homes, and Hoy £140,000 for solar and battery storage at its community hall.

Together, these projects show island communities taking practical steps toward a lower carbon future. For Scottish Venison, the Raasay facility is a model of what’s possible when sustainable deer management, community ownership and local food production come together, a story we’re proud to share and hope will inspire similar projects across Scotland.

Source: Scottish Government news release, 29 July 2026.