SUPPORTERS

The kangaroo industry enjoys widespread support. This support is demonstrated by letters linked to each name below and extends to Ecological and Conservation NGO’s, eminent scientists, Aboriginal communities, and the general public.

Ecological and Conservation NGOS

Some of Australia’s oldest and most respected conservation NGO’s support the kangaroo harvest because it contributes to the sustainable management of our land.

Australian Wildlife Management Society
Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia
International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Scientists

A significant proportion of Australian ecologists support the kangaroo industry.  Many are vocal in doing so and include:

Prof Michael Archer, University of NSW
Dr Peter Ampt, University of Sydney
Prof Gordon Grigg, University of Queensland
Dr Catherine Money, former CSIRO Scientist
Dr Tony Pople, Research Scientist 
Dr George Wilson, Australian National University

Aboriginal Communities

Aboriginal communities support the industry because it creates employment and utilizes animals in a holistic way thus paying respect to these animals which have value rather than simply being culled with no further use of their meat and skin by-products.

Murdi Paaki Regional Aboriginal Assembly
Coonamble Aboriginal Land Council

Community Groups

Central Western Queensland Remote Area Planning and Development Board
Agforce
National Farmers Federation
Wool Producers
Aust/US Chamber of Commerce
NSW Farmers and West Darling Pastoralists

The General Public

Research has indicated that the majority of the Australian public support the sustainable utilisation of kangaroos.

A recent survey released in 2014 (McLeod and Sharp, 2014) looked at Australian community acceptance of a range of kangaroo management alternatives, including exclusion fencing and ‘doing nothing’.  Commercial Harvesting was consistently considered the most acceptable against a range of considerations including humaneness and likelihood of extinction.

“Our results indicate that the majority of the general public accepts commercial harvesting as an acceptable, humane and effective method of managing kangaroos” (McLeod and Sharp, 2014)

Farmers

Excerpts below highlight widespread sentiment amongst farming communities who are vocal in their support of the kangaroo industry.

Rick Howard, Moona Vale Station, Broken Hill, NSW

Essentially we have altered the roos natural environment, leading to an unsustainable increase in their numbers.  A smart person might try to utilise this embarrassment of riches we suffer from for the benefit of feeding our planets growing population. Better still help create a sustainable harvest system that benefits both the people that live here and others with families to feed.

Elizabeth Eassie, “Tara”, Garah, NSW

We look upon our role on the farm as custodians of the land, flora and fauna for future generations – including the need for a sustainable kangaroo meat industry. Kangaroos are all part of this ecosystem and there needs to be a market for their meat so that the numbers are controlled and that farming can be continued into the future in a profitable sustainable manner. 

Murdo Cadell, Merrigula, Tambar Springs

I would never want to see the kangaroo disappear from our area but it is quite obvious that we need to maintain some control measures.

Sandra Ireson, “Belmont”, Booligal, NSW

No farmer wants to see kangaroos disappear, but we do need to be able to farm profitably, kangaroos do have a real impact on us. There is no way the kangaroo population will disappear we just need them to be culled for their own survival. Putting a value on animal by marketing it into a form of protein makes it a much more important animal species.