FAIRBANKS (AP) — For most hungry Alaskans, reindeer meat doesn’t represent much more than a spicy sausage link.

University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers want to know if there’s more potential for the state’s roughly 18,000 reindeer. A new market study is under way to see whether local consumers are interested in high-end cuts of reindeer, and to determine what they’re willing to pay for them.

Greg Finstad, the manager of UAF’s Reindeer Research Program, hopes to see a day when customers eagerly throw a petite reindeer steak on the grill.

“We’re trying to establish the connection — the business relationship between the retailer and consumer,” Finstad said.

UAF researchers began providing Home Grown Market with sides of reindeer last week to gauge demand for the product. The small Geraghty Avenue grocery, which specializes in locally grown foods, is offering reindeer steaks and ground meat.

The market study is expected to last for the next year. Throughout the process, Home Grown Market has agreed to open its books so UAF can determine the specific cost of selling the meat.

The reindeer isn’t cheap — steaks are selling for $25 per pound — but they offer a local product that’s been virtually impossible to find in the past.

Alaska’s reindeer has almost all gone toward sausage, and even the choice cuts went into the grinder. Because of that, reindeer herders on the Seward Peninsula have little concept of the worth of a good reindeer steak.

“They’re raising these reindeer, but they have no idea what their market value is,” Finstad said.

Home Grown Market owner Jeff Johnson said sales have been modest in the first week, although they’ve grown each day. Even so, Johnson said his reasons for participating in the market study aren’t purely financial.

“In my opinion, it’s not about making money — it’s about helping an entire industry,” Johnson said. “If we can get an entire industry going, all of us are going to benefit.”

Finstad said the Reindeer Research Program isn’t in a position to supply a large grocery store with meat, and that at this point it doesn’t want to.

He’s counting on a small store owner like Johnson to help provide customers with guidance on how to cook reindeer, which is an important step in promoting the meat.

“We need to educate the consumer,” he said. “You can’t do that with a large, impersonal grocery chain.”

Both Finstad and Johnson rave about the flavor of reindeer, but say preparation is key. Finstad said people often cook reindeer like they would beef, which almost always ends with disappointing results.

Johnson compared reindeer to lamb, with a rich, delicate flavor. He said a medium-rare preparation, with some grilled onions and minimal seasonings, seems to highlight it best.

Reindeer also is more affordable than it would initially appear, he said, since servings are petite steaks of 4 ounces or less.

“You’re buying this because it’s a unique flavor,” Johnson said. “It’s going to complement a good wine and some local veggies. It’s not a big piece of meat to be the main attraction.”

Finstad said reindeer is more nutritious than alternatives like beef, with high protein and low fat and cholesterol. He said it’s among the most tender meats available, and has a flavor that’s rich without tasting gamy.

The study requires a long-term commitment, Finstad said. He expects some customers will initially buy reindeer simply because it’s a novelty, but said it’s important to know if they’ll come back for more.

If the market study is a success, Finstad said the Reindeer Research Program wants to shift the supply chain to Seward Peninsula herders. He said there are no long-term plans for UAF to become a commercial supplier of reindeer meat.

“We want to work ourselves out of a job,” Finstad said.
Source – By Jeff Richardson Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

This will signal the first time that Yamal reindeer meat is imported to a country that already has a domestic reindeer meat industry.

Lapin Liha stated to the media that this was necessary as there was simply not enough reindeer meat supply in the market in Finland to meet their production goals of 40,000 reindeer per year. Currently they are processing around 24000 per year, 3000 of which come from Sweden.

Lapin Liha plan to import 200-250,000 kilos per year, all of which will come from the EU certified slaughterhouse in Yar-Sale, which was constructed by the Finnish company Kometos Oy.

Read the news release here on the Lapin Liha site.

A group of businessmen from the Republic of Karelia in April unsuccessful tried to smuggle 800 kg of reindeer horns from Russia to Latvia.

The smugglers where caught by customs officers in Pskov Oblast near the border to Latvia. In the truck, the customs officers found 495 units of reindeer horn with a total weight of more than 800 kg. The goods had no customs declaration, nor any other documentation, weekly newspaper Karelskaya Gubernya reports

The revealed smuggling attempt might indicate large-scale reindeer poaching in Karelia, regional authorities say. Specialists now investigate whether the horns stem from Karelia or from the neighboring Murmansk Oblast.

While reindeer hunting is strictly forbidden in Karelia, Murmansk Oblast has a functioning reindeer industry operated primarily by the indigenous Sami population. Several thousand reindeer use the rich pasture lands of the Kola Peninsula.  Source: Barents Observer

The Yamal-Nenets area, “Russia’s outpost in the Arctic,” became the first of Russian regions to present itself at the international exhibition World Expo 2010 that opened in Shanghai on Saturday.

The deputy governor, Andrei Kugayevsky, responsible for his area’s agroindustrial sector, told RIA Novosti that China showed interest in receiving preserved reindeer blood.

“China is likely to be the main consumer of preserved reindeer blood as they actively use biostimulants it contains,” he also said.

Kugayevsky said blood preservation makes it possible to produce various substances used in pharmacology.

The 2010 World Expo fair is to run from May 1 to October 31. Some 70 million visitors are expected to attend the event.

Глава правительства Красноярского края Эдхам Акбулатов дал указание  своим подчиненным продумать варианты реализации северного мяса, рыбы и дикоросов в России и за пределами страны.

В итоговом бюджете расходы на государственную поддержку северного оленеводства составили всего 180 млн. руб.

В первоначальном варианте проекта бюджета государственная поддержка северного оленеводства вообще не была предусмотрена. Министерство сельского хозяйства Российской Федерации в связи с антикризисными мерами решила изъять из бюджета отдельную строчку, которая многие годы существовала и содержала расходы на поддержание оленеводства.

На сайте ПОЛИТ.ру сообщается, что в третьем чтении законопроект по бюджету представил председатель комитета Госдумы по бюджету и налогам Юрий Васильев. Он сообщил, что ко второму чтению подано 587 поправок, из них 299 приняты в т. ч. по поддержке северного оленеводства. «Ну как не поддержать северное оленеводство», — сказал глава бюджетного комитета. Однако председатель комитета по делам Севера Валентина Пивненко заявила, что поддержка северного оленеводства сокращена вдвое, «мы больше потратим на северный завоз» – сказала она.

Помимо уже предусмотренных средств, на поддержку сельского хозяйства дополнительно выделено 3,5 млрд руб., в том числе 3 млрд руб. — на поддержку племенного животноводства и 0,5 млрд руб. — на поддержку элитного семеноводства, а также 180 млн руб. — на поддержку северного оленеводства и табунного коневодства.

Фото: Livia Monami

Источник

Europe has not opened its borders to us straight away. For a number of years we drafted the necessary documents, underwent lengthy approval and control procedures, and only then the EU issued a certificate allowing the supplies of products of the northern reindeer herding to European countries. We have to take into account the fact that the only territory certified is the Yamal district where the main slaughter and meat processing enterprise – the Yamal Reindeer Company – is based.

Despite the fact that the exported products only take a rather narrow niche the competition we have to fight is very serious. There are Finnish producers working in the same segment, and, as strange as it may sound, companies in New Zealand.

Mazharov went on to highlight the quality of their reindeer products, the health benefits of reindeer meat, the plans to increase the sale of soft antlers for the Chinese market,  and the partnerships with the Finnish company Kometos Oy.

In a near future the first train of the Finnish deer slaughter line will be commissioned in the Yamal village Antipayuta (Tazovskiy district). Similar enterprises should appear in the village of Seyakha (Yamal district) and the trading post Yuribey (Tazovskiy district). In the future the trading post Payuta should acquire its own slaughter and freezer complex.

This would represent a significant increase in slaughterhouse capacity as currently there is only one slaughterhouse in the region capable of slaughtering reindeer meat to EU standards and packaging, based in Yar-Sale. You can read the full interview here, or read below

Yamal is a region of tough climate and rich mineral wealth. 90% of Russian gas, more than 14% of Russian oil and 54% gas condensate are produced here. It would seem impossible for Yamal to change its image of the country’s “gas store”; however, this is what the government of the autonomous Okrug is trying to achieve. Aleksandr Mazharov, the Director of the Department for International and Interregional Relations of YaNAO, spoke of what the new Yamal brand will be in an interview to RusBusinessNews.

- Mr Mazharov, according to Standard & Poor’s Yamal has positive international investment rating BB+ which corresponds to ruAA+ by the Russian scale. How attractive is the region to foreign business?

There is no doubt that Yamal is a region of great interest for foreign business. This applies, first of all, to the fuel and energy sector.

On 24 September 2009 the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin conducted a working meeting on the issue of the development of gas fields of the Yamal peninsula. CEOs of the largest oil and gas companies took part in the discussion; these included Wulf Bernotat, Chairman of the Board of E.ON, Shell’s CEO Peter Voser, Mitsui and Mitsubishi presidents Masami Iijima and Yorihiko Kojima, as well as Paolo Scaroni, the Head of Italy’s Eni. They were invited to take part in projects being prepared for the implementation in the Autonomous Okrug.

This event gave a strong momentum to the development of plans for the construction of processing capacities, transport infrastructure, energy system facilities on the territory of YaNAO, including those with significant share of foreign investment. The planned scope of measures is aimed at the establishment of a firm foundation for the development of the Autonomous Okrug as the Russian “outpost” on the Arctic territory securing the future access to the Arctic shelf.

- In the conditions of financial crisis the demand for natural resources Yamal is so rich with has started declining. How did this reflect on the region?

- Financial crisis only confirmed for Russia the importance of diversification of economic relations with foreign partners and the need to develop alternative sectors with the involvement of foreign capital. This concerns, first of all, such mono-industry regions as Yamal.

The decline in the demand for mineral resources and the fall of the prices for energy resources, of course, affected the foreign trade turnover. If we compare the results of January-September 2009 with indicators of the same period last year the trade turnover has decreased 2.5 times – down to 183 million US dollars. I think this is a temporary trend and after the recession the growth of economies of the world’s leading states will inevitably begin, this includes Russia, and this will lead to the new wave of demand for energy.

In order to decrease the dependency of the region on the affect of these macroeconomic factors the Administration of the region at the moment is focusing its efforts on the development of long term multi-vector external economic links not involving oil and gas production. Particular attention and support is given to projects aimed at the creation of new jobs, development of production and processing capacities directly within the Autonomous Okrug.

This list includes projects on export of meat and hides of reindeer and the development of the tourism sector. The number of tourists travelling Yamal is growing every year. Only in January-September this year the Okrug was visited by 5 thousand Russian tourists and 200 travellers from abroad. I am sure this industry has an enormous potential.

- What are the specifics of the promotion of reindeer herding products from YaNAO in Russian and international markets?

- Due to objective causes Yamal cannot boast a broad range of exports. Such factors as the geographic position, climate peculiarities, the specific nature of economy, and sparse population are unimportant for the majority of Russian regions; they often play the prevailing role in the conditions of the Extreme North, though.

According to the 2008 results 95.5% of exported products made in Yamal was the fossil fuel, oil and petroleum products and 4.5% was equipment and mechanical devices. At the same time Yamal is the first Russian region exporting products of the northern reindeer herding – meat and hides of the northern reindeer – to the countries of the European Union.

Europe has not opened its borders to us straight away. For a number of years we drafted the necessary documents, underwent lengthy approval and control procedures, and only then the EU issued a certificate allowing the supplies of products of the northern reindeer herding to European countries. We have to take into account the fact that the only territory certified is the Yamal district where the main slaughter and meat processing enterprise – the Yamal Reindeer Company – is based.

Despite the fact that the exported products only take a rather narrow niche the competition we have to fight is very serious. There are Finnish producers working in the same segment, and, as strange as it may sound, companies in New Zealand.

- How do you manage surviving such formidable competition?

- The Yamal Reindeer Company counts on the high quality of the product they supply, in particular its eco qualities. It is worth pointing out that the reindeer meat is a dietary product containing a minimum amount of cholesterol. Moreover the herds have not been affected by diseases which in recent years shook the global beef and poultry markets.

The remote pastures, harsh climate, pure natural feed, lack of contact with domestic animals, and a strict veterinary control guarantee safety, eco properties, and remarkable gourmet properties of the meat. Compared to the “red” European or New Zealand meat the northern reindeer meat is valued for its more tender texture, succulence, and being purely natural. The reindeer grazes in natural conditions which rules out artificial feeding entirely.

In 2008-2009, over 180 tons of the Yamal venison was shipped to Europe. In October within the framework of the international exhibition ANUGA – 2009 agreements were reached with Brodersen & Kover GmbH (Germany) on the supply of 100 tons of venison fillets; the issue of cooperation is being negotiated with Polarika (Sweden); further discussions with Finnish colleagues are ongoing.

I have to point out that the difficult geographic position of YaNAO introduces certain corrections to the logistics process making it much more complex. Moreover, there are bureaucratic difficulties when undergoing procedures of customs and veterinary control.

As well as venison we are preparing exports of reindeer hides. Kero Leather AB (Sweden) is prepared to continue the collaboration with the Yamal deer herders. In 2010 suppliers of leather to Italian shoe and furniture makers are planning to buy several thousand reindeer hides in the polar region. Partners from Germany and Greece, as well as the Swedes, are interested in this kind of product.

- The herd numbers of domesticated reindeer in Yamal exceeds 600 thousand, this is the largest herd in the World. The production of meat and hide, probably, does not describe the limit of the potential of the reindeer herding sector, does it?

- In the future Yamal may develop the production of the most active natural substance – pantohematogen. This is a bioactive food additive which is the most effective tonic, nootropic, and biostimulating substance used for mental and physical exhaustion, asthenic conditions, neuroses, weak heart, vascular disorders, and diabetes mellitus. As valuable in terms of medicinal properties are the preparations “Dry blood for antler baths” and “Lyophilic dried blood”.

According to marketing studies the demand for pantohematogen, dry blood for antler baths and lyophilic dried blood exceeds the offer several times. In particular this applies to countries with highly developed medicine like China and South Korea. I have to point out that the price of these products in the Russian market is 3 to 5 times lower than abroad, for instance in the Chinese market.

- With which other countries, in addition to Sweden and Germany, does YaNAO actively develop cooperation? Which countries may be regarded as permanent partners, which markets have to be mastered in the future?

- The long standing and reliable partners of Yamal are the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba. NORDEP, the institutional development project in the North, is being implemented jointly with Canada for many years.

The mutually beneficial links have also been established with Finnish partners. Specialists from Kometos Oy (Finland) install and commission meat processing plants. In a near future the first train of the Finnish deer slaughter line will be commissioned in the Yamal village Antipayuta (Tazovskiy district). Similar enterprises should appear in the village of Seyakha (Yamal district) and the trading post Yuribey (Tazovskiy district). In the future the trading post Payuta should acquire its own slaughter and freezer complex.

Links with German, Italian, and American companies are important in the field of fuel and energy cooperation.

There are traditionally strong links between Yamal and Bulgaria. 1250 Yamal schoolchildren and students annually spend holidays in the recreation camp for children “Yamal” located in Kiten. We also have friendly relations with Luxembourg. Kids from Yamal visited the country within the young people’s exchange programme. I cannot omit mentioning the links in the sphere of culture and youth policies with colleagues in Austria, Serbia, Hungary and other countries.

On the whole the Okrug’s foreign economic cooperation geography is very broad. In recent times a particular attention is afforded to the development of links with China. In January-June 2009 Yamal’s trade turnover with China amounted to 33.3% of the foreign turnover total. Opening the Okrug’s representation there is planned for the next year. I would like to point out that 2010 will be extremely important to the people of Yamal as YaNAO will be celebrating its 80th anniversary.

Interview prepared by Valentina Mazharova

Mathisen pointed out that reindeer husbandry is more than just a cultural issue and that from an economic standpoint, it is more important to the regional economy than people think and the focus on its cultural importance diminishes its economic potential.

Figures from Innovation Norway show that the reindeer industry employs more than agriculture, fishing industry and aquaculture industry in the county of Finnmark. In 2007, reindeer herding employed 743 people with only the fisheries industry employing more people: 1138. The total gross value added in reindeer husbandry amounted to about 140 million NOK (ca. 16 Million Euros) a year. Besides buying reindeer food goods and services to 70 million NOK annually in the county.

The business opportunity must be brought forward in the discussion. There must be a more professional debate about the reindeer herding as a business and not just a culture bearer,

Source: Finnmark Dagblad

You can read the COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006. ‘LAPIN PORON LIHA’ EC No: FI/PDO/005/0352/15.07.2004, PDO ( X ) PGI ( ) here on the Reindeer Portal Document Archive

The leader of the Sami reindeer herders Association, Nils Henrik Sara was shocked, and was quoted as saying:

I had never thought that there were so many power projects underway in areas within reindeer husbandry…For us, it only means one thing, namely, less pasture for reindeer. Loss of pastures is the biggest challenge reindeer husbandry is facing. 

The survey includes about 20 power lines, 40 wind power stations, 180 smaller power stations and about 20 major power stations that require a license. The construction of power lines and wind power stations will lead to the large encroachments in nature that probably are most damaging for reindeer herding in the Sámi areas.

Plans in the Sámi  area include a new 350 km power line from Balsfjord in Troms to Hammerfest, a 160-kilometer power line from Ofoten to Balsfjord in Nordland and Troms, a 173-kilometer power line from Roan to Trollheimen in Sør-Trøndelag, and a 150 kilometer power line in a coordinated network in North Fosen in North Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag.
In addition to these and several other power lines, containing the a number of wind farm in Finnmark, Troms, Nordland and Trøndelag. Among the largest are Norkyn, Skjøtningberg and Rákkucearro in Finnmark, Troms in Red Mountain, Mountain Repair and Sleneset in Nordland, and several major projects on the Fosen peninsula in Trøndelag.

In fact, there are so many projects on the table that NVE are quoted as saying that they cannot possible fulfil their obligations of consultation as expected by the Sami Rights Commitee, indeed that fulfilling these requirements  will be “totally impossible for the government sector”, including NVE, according to another story in NRK Nordnytt.