Each year, hunters across the Commonwealth make the conscious decision to donate thousands of pounds of venison to public charities dedicated to feeding individuals and families in need. To make these donations possible, hunters must bring their harvested deer to a licensed processor who can properly butcher and prepare the venison for distribution. However, the cost of processing can be significant, and this financial burden may discourage hunters from donating in the future.

With this in mind, I will soon be introducing the Deer Processor’s Tax Credit. The goal of this legislation is to incentivize increased venison donations by supporting the processors who make these contributions possible. Under my proposal, processors who provide deer-processing services free of charge for hunters donating venison to qualifying hunger-relief organizations would be eligible for a $100 tax credit per deer processed, up to a cap of $5,000 per tax year per processor.

In the most recent 2024-25 hunting season, hunters donated a record 283,789 pounds of venison, from 7,855 deer statewide. That 283,789 pounds of venison is estimated to have provided approximately 1.1 million servings of lean, nutritious meat to food-insecure Pennsylvanians.

These statistics reflect not only the generosity of Pennsylvania’s hunters, but also the critical role processors play in converting deer harvests into safe, consumable, meat for distribution. By enacting the Deer Processor’s Tax Credit, we can strengthen and expand processors willing to donate their services and encourage even more hunters to donate. In turn, families in need across Pennsylvania will benefit from increased access to lean, nutritious venison.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this important initiative to support both the Commonwealth’s sportsmen and the organizations working tirelessly to combat hunger in our communities.