Kangaroo export recovery plan
In August last year Australia’s kangaroo export trade collapsed when Russia banned imports of kangaroo meat due to food hygiene concerns.
Exports to Russia accounted for nearly 70 percent of the market for Australian roo meat.
Things are looking up again for Australian roo meat producers however, with an agreement to export kangaroo meat to China now finalised.
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said: “The formalities with China are now agreed to in terms of the principles of being able to export, and China’s now waiting for a formal application from any Australia exporter.”
In addition to the China deal, the government is hoping to be able to reinstate trade with Russia, to further fuel demand for Australian kangaroo meat.
The Government is spending nearly half a million dollars on retraining kangaroo shooters, with almost 4000 roo shooters to be up-skilled.
“The people we’ve got in the kangaroo industry are already highly trained but there’s some specific changes that do require extra training” said My Burke.
“That will allow them to meet the demands that have been put on us by Russia and hopefully at that point it will allow us to reopen the trade to Russia.”
Anything that is shot in the bush, hung on the side of a dusty ute and then kept in unregulated coolers with carcasses touching and other game present iS NOT SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. This is the real reason Russia banned imports. Because an unacceptably high percentage of meat samples were found to contain dangerous levels of ecoli bacteria (as was confirmed by the scientific report named “A shot in the dark”.
In addition to putting consumers at risk, this is a black day for Australian Wildlife. Since kangaroo harvesting was put in place, kangaroo populations have crashed by 55%. The official government policy for orphaned kangaroo joeys is for them to be bludgeoned to death. This is atrocious behaviour and an abhorrent way to treat our national icon.
Shame, Australia! How dare we hang the boxing kangaroo flag while we support and encourage the largest slaughter of terrestrial wildlife (the kangaroo).
So, if Russia banned kangaroo meat because of consistent contamination over many years……its okay for China to import it, and for Chinese people to eat it? I think the Chinese people are a fair bit smarter than that, but it doesnt say much for our politicians who promote it!
All this extra training won’t make the kangaroo killings more hygienic, and it won’t make it more humane. Even if they make a head-shot, and up to 40% aren’t, there are still all the joeys that are killed by bashing in their heads, or allowing to die slowly. These animals are wildlife, and there is no way to ensure the health of the animals, or to avoid the cruelty to dependent joeys.
There is no way to ensure a “sustainable” kangaroo meat supply. Already we have make some macropods extinct, and kangaroos are suffering from genetic pool limitations due to having the biggest and best ones destroyed.
All the regulations and quotas haven’t stopped the fishing industry from collapsing. With billions of people in China, they will soon eat through our iconic animals. This is a very sad time for Australian wildlife.
Have they forgotten that kangaroo meat is diseased meat? It is not processed in a proper abbottior under hygienic conditions, it all happens out in the bush in the dirt, heat and animal faeces all around. Check out ‘Faces In The Mob’ for more information on the slaughter of Australia’s National Coat of Arms.
I for one, object to my tax dollars being wasted on a few drunken cowboys who want to play Rambo in the bush to make some short term profit at the expense of this proud country’s natural wildlife. We are the only country in the world that kills it’s own wildlife. As Steve Irwin himself said “It’s embarrassing”. And shameful.
I am a Korean Australian.
I am going to export to Korea kangaroo meat.
So I want to contact your company as soon as possible.