Industry prepares for new kangaroo harvest zone

Following community consultation, the area where kangaroos can be commercially harvested has been expanded from the pastoral areas to include Yorke and Fleurieu peninsulas, Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island and the South East, as part of the South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2020-2024.

There will also be another three eligible species - the KI western grey kangaroo sub species, the eastern grey kangaroo and non-mainland tammar wallabies - alongside the existing red kangaroo, western grey kangaroo and euro. The proposal also included the red-necked wallaby, with this removed before the final draft.

Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone said this expansion would manage overabundant kangaroos while adding value to "meat or skin production that might otherwise only be culled and left on the ground".

"While recent dry conditions have resulted in a natural decline of kangaroo numbers in the north of SA, populations remain high across most agricultural areas of the state," he said.

He said these high numbers put pressure on the environment, the agricultural industry and the quality of life for kangaroos, as well as creating potential road hazards.

Despite the increase in the commercial harvest zone area and eligible species, the quota for the 2020 calendar year has dropped just shy of 30 per cent, from 730,200 in 2019 to 518,600.

Mr Whetstone said the estimated population in the harvest area was 3.6 million, down from 4.4m in 2018.

In 2018, just 14pc of the approved quota was harvested, while to August this year, 64,645 kangaroos were harvested, with projections this would reach 96,968 for 2019 - 13pc of the quota.

The new commercial management plan also stipulates that population surveys be conducted every three years, although this frequency could increase or decrease, depending on how much of the harvest quota is used.

Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia president and Macro Meats managing director Ray Borda called the harvest zone change "one of the most positive moves in my time in the industry".

"It's a win for animal welfare, it's a win for industry, it's a win for farmers," he said.

"It means we are stopping amateurs, who aren't professional shooters, killing these animals, and reducing one of the biggest food waste issues in Australia."

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Mr Borda said there had been plenty of interest from potential field processors in the new areas, with some already in training, while Macro Meats was constructing extra mobile chiller sites to collect the carcases.

He said new processors would be partnered with experienced people to ensure food quality and animal welfare standards were met.

Orroroo Kangaroo owner Taryn Ackland said more kangaroos had been heading south, driven by the prolonged drought and heat.

She said her business was unlikely to make use of the expanded zone, because of the distance and smaller quotas in those areas.

She said many of the new kangaroo varieties were also on the smaller side, which may make them less likely to be used in the commercial harvest.

"It takes just as long to bone out a small kangaroo as a large one and you don't get much meat," she said.

Ms Ackland said there were still enough kangaroos in their local area to meet their demand, but she was concerned about how the coming months would play out if the drought continued.