Fukuoka’s game meat plant turns nuisance wildlife into regional specialty

At a state-of-the-art game meat processing plant in the city of Buzen, Fukuoka Prefecture, wild animals culled to prevent crop damage are being processed under strict sanitary standards and sold as premium-quality venison and wild boar meat.

Game meat, or gibier in French, has graced the tables of European aristocracy for centuries. In Japan, it is recently winning fans as a lean, high-protein alternative to conventional livestock.

Inside the Buzen Gibier Center, a freshly harvested deer hangs from a processing rail. After thoroughly washing the carcass with large volumes of water, technician Mutsujiro Suda, 51, carefully removes the hide and internal organs, one step at a time.