The proceeds of the levy go to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, under the provisions of the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 . The rate of the levy is 1.5 per cent of the sale value of goat fibre. In other words, the cost of the goods and services tax is 'embedded' in prices rather than identified separately. Endnotes The deer industry was established in Australia in the early 1970s when interest in the farming of deer spread here from New Zealand and its commercial value was recognised. Velvet antler is the complete antler harvested from male deer at a precise stage when it is soft and vascular before it calcifies and hardens.
All male deer grow and shed their antlers in an annual cycle.
Not all species of deer farmed in Australia are used for velveting. Deer velvet is a highly prized substance in the practice of Asian medicine and it is also being increasingly used in western communities. Recent research at Royal North Shore Hospital has demonstrated the value of powdered deer velvet in ameliorating certain types of arthritis. Deer velvet is frozen on farm after harvest and is sold either through the industry-run velvet pools or direct to Asian buyers. Good quality mature red stags can yield up to 3kg or more.