Land Bank approves $200,000 to pursue on-island venison processing facility

The Nantucket Land Bank Commission voted to increase funding by $200,000 to advance a proposal to establish an on-island venison processing facility, and authorized staff to advertise seasonal positions to run the operation.

Commissioner John moved to increase the budget by $200,000; the motion passed with commissioners Neil and Mark voting aye, Commissioner Allen voting no and Commissioner Christina voting aye. Commissioners also voted to advertise seasonal processing positions in a separate motion that passed unanimously.

The proposal, presented by Emily (Land Bank staff), frames the facility as part of the Share the Harvest program coordinated with MassWildlife and other partners. Emily said the facility would enable primary processing and tracking on-island and secondary work — butchering, packaging and freezing — before distribution to local outlets. “The processor is then responsible for the primary processing and tracking, which is incredibly important,” Emily said, noting tight documentation requirements for donated meat.

Land Bank staff described several motivations: a high deer population on the island, local food insecurity and the difficulty hunters face when no approved processor exists locally. Initial equipment estimates cited by staff included an outdoor processing tent, a walk-in cooler, kitchen equipment for secondary processing, packaging supplies and weekly waste collection; staff provided a rough equipment estimate of about $50,000 but said that figure could change.

For staffing, the commission heard a recommendation to hire a seasonal on-island processing manager and three to four processors to begin the first season under direct Land Bank supervision rather than contracting with an existing business. Commissioners discussed alternatives including contracting with an LLC in later years. Commissioner Christina urged increasing the budget “so you don’t have to come back,” and several commissioners supported the larger initial allocation to avoid repeated return trips for more funding.

Members of the public and other commenters weighed in. A resident identified as opposed to encouraging hunting said she was “very much opposed to the whole idea of encouraging hunting on our properties,” citing concerns about safety and past problems during earlier efforts. Other commenters, including a person who identified himself as Mike, expressed support and offered logistical help; Mike said he had spoken with regional partners and described earlier efforts that had been shut down by the local board of health. Mike offered potential temporary refrigeration capacity donated by a private donor if off-island processing became necessary.

Staff outlined processing fees currently used by participating processors in the MassWildlife Share the Harvest network — $250 in season and $350 outside hunting season or under a deer-damage permit — and clarified that processors, not hunters, receive the processing payment. The Land Bank noted potential local distribution partners such as the Nantucket Food Pantry, Nourish and Tuckett, and mentioned Daniel’s Table in Framingham as an example of an established distribution site used by the program off-island.

The commission directed staff to pursue the processing-facility planning work, advertise the seasonal positions, and begin budgeting and permitting steps, including working closely with the Board of Health on facility requirements and waste handling. Staff emphasized remaining uncertainties around waste collection and that some line items — especially staffing and waste — were likely to change as plans and bids are refined.

Commissioners framed the vote as a step to develop the project rather than a final commitment to construction: the $200,000 authorization is to support planning, equipment procurement and hiring to get a first season underway and to cross regulatory ‘t’s and dot i’s with public-health partners.

The commission approved the budget increase and the staffing advertisement and will continue to refine cost estimates and permitting steps in subsequent meetings.