Tarrant Refrigeration

Nominee Summary

The AGHE built by Tarrant Refrigeration for Jura Wild Venison deserves special recognition for turning the environmental necessity of deer management into a practical, local and low-carbon response to climate change and food necessity. As the only AGHE on Jura, the project highlights how venison producers can address climate action not as an add-on, but as a core part of their operating model: reducing emissions from food miles, supporting habitat recovery, protecting biodiversity, supporting local food supply chains and creating wider community benefit.

Reduction of carbon footprint

At the heart of the nomination is a clear environmental purpose. Excessive deer numbers have a direct impact on Scotland’s forests and fragile habitats, preventing young trees from growing, damaging existing woodland and increasing pressure on peatland and other sensitive ecosystems. Effective deer management is therefore central to woodland regeneration, carbon storage, biodiversity recovery and climate resilience. The Jura AGHE supports that wider environmental objective by ensuring that deer management produces a high-quality, sustainable and locally processed food product for the island.

Overcoming challenges

Having an AGHE on Jura avoids the need to transport carcasses long distances to mainland facilities, reducing carbon footprint and food miles. Wild Jura Venison proudly assert that processed venison doesn’t travel further than 25miles from Jura’s AGHE which is 120 miles less than previously – reducing emissions and creating a shorter, more resilient supply chain for island communities. It also turns a natural local and sustainable resource into nutritious food for residents, schools, local businesses and community organisations. The facility itself has been designed with environmental responsibility built in. Wild Jura Venison draw around 30% of their electricity requirements through a 10kW solar photovoltaic array, while solar thermal systems provide renewable hot water for processing operations. The AGHE uses environmentally responsible refrigeration gases, reducing the climate impact of essential cold storage. These investments demonstrate a serious commitment to reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-generated energy and embedding low-carbon practice into day-to-day operations.

The benefit and the next steps

The climate benefits are broader than the facility’s own footprint. Deer are sourced from local crofting management programmes and annual estate culls which help protect crops, reduce grazing pressure and support the recovery of woodland and natural habitats. Wild venison is also a naturally low-input source of protein. It requires no housing, imported feed or intensive farming system. Wild Jura Venison offer a credible alternative to more resource-intensive food supply chains while supporting land managers to keep deer populations in balance with the environment. This is what makes the Jura AGHE built by Tarrant Refrigeration such a strong candidate for the Award for Combatting Climate Change. It is practical, place-based and commercially relevant, reducing emissions in its own operations, supporting nature-based climate action, promoting circular use of a local resource and delivering direct benefits to the community it serves. For these reasons, the Wild Jura Venison AGHE stands out as an example of environmental enterprise in action. It turns a pressing ecological challenge into a sustainable, low-carbon opportunity and shows how business success, community resilience and climate responsibility can be delivered harmoniously.