Apply for this licence
Contact your council for a licence to buy, sell or trade venison.
Restrictions
The licence is valid for 3 years.
Keeping records
You must keep a record of your transactions involving venison. It must contain:
- when you bought or received it
- name and address of the person you got it from
- how many carcasses and what sex they are
- species of deer, if it’s possible to identify it
You must keep your records of each transaction and any relevant documents (eg receipts, invoices) for 3 years.
Producing records for inspection
You must produce your records if you’re asked to by the police or anyone authorised in writing by the council. This includes any documents needed to verify your records.
Venison killed illegally
You must not buy, sell or exchange any venison which you know, or have reason to believe, has been killed illegally. If you do, you could be fined or sent to prison for up to 2 years.
How to apply
Contact your council for a licence. The fee varies, depending on the council.
Fines and penalties
You must allow the police to search your vehicle or premises if they have reasonable grounds to suspect an offence has been committed.
If you don’t, you could be disqualified from holding a licence for a set period of time, fined up to £2,500 or imprisoned for 3 months.