Australia Hides Behind Kangaroo Killing Industry

The Australian government and the government of New South Wales are accused of ignoring the commercial killing of kangaroos while Europe considers a ban on the import of kangaroo meat and kangaroo hide.

A parliamentary report on the health and welfare of kangaroos and other macropods examined the way in which the New South Wales government manages the commercial kangaroo industry and recommended greater transparency of kangaroo management plans, programmes and practices.

The inquiry found unanimously that both the NSW government and representatives of the commercial kangaroo industry are alarmingly unable to answer basic questions about their methods.

Mick McIntyre, co-founder of Kangaroos Alive

«Although the inquiry made 23 recommendations to the New South Wales government, only two were fully accepted«, he added.

McIntyre said the inquiry proved that Australia had dropped the ball in overseeing the commercial killing of kangaroos and had missed the opportunity to address the issues raised by the parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales.

«The government will come to regret its dismissive response to the kangaroo inquiry, which found evidence of an untenable animal welfare crisis in the commercial kangaroo industry.«

Both the NSW government and the federal government had to admit that no one monitors commercial killing at the point of slaughter and that no records are kept of the number of joeys killed each year.

«It is a disgrace for Australia that we cannot tell our colleagues in Europe how many baby joeys are killed each year in Australia under the commercial kangaroo industry. Nor can we trust the so-called ‘codes of conduct’ for killing kangaroos when no one monitors how the animals are actually killed in the field.»

New evidence presented at the parliamentary inquiry shows that up to 40% of kangaroos hunted in the commercial kangaroo industry by hobby hunters are shot incorrectly and must endure a slow death through secondary trauma.

«The fact is that Europe will act first by banning the import of products, which in turn will cripple this industry«, he said.

A committee of the European Parliament will hold a parliamentary debate in Brussels this month to discuss petitions submitted by three European animal welfare organisations: LAV, World Animal Protection and Eurogroup for Animals. The petitions highlight the numerous problems that the kangaroo trade poses for animal welfare, consumer protection and the environment, and call for an import ban.

«Kangaroos are shot for their meat and the hides are then exported, but this happens without any oversight, and now that new evidence points to a massive loss of kangaroo biodiversity, that will be a problem for the European Union«, said McIntyre.

«Kangaroo body parts are sold across Europe and the USA for pet food, sausages and football boots, but we are seeing resistance to the inherently cruel slaughter.«

McIntyre says it is compelling that the debate in the European Parliament on the import of kangaroo products coincides with World Kangaroo Day on 24 October.

«We are pleased that this is happening on World Kangaroo Day, an international holiday. It is a clear sign that the EU cares about the future of our national symbol.«

Australian export data shows that the EU remains the primary destination for Australian kangaroo meat exports, with Belgium accounting for 775 tonnes, or approximately one third of total exports.

«The supermarket giant Carrefour has already banned kangaroo meat from its stores, and luxury brands such as Gucci, Prada and Versace have also stopped using kangaroo skins for their bags, belts and shoes due to the manner in which the animals are killed.«

«English football icon David Beckham even stopped wearing Adidas shoes made from kangaroo hides after watching a video in which a young kangaroo and its mother were killed.«

McIntyre and other advocates from Kangaroos Alive and a coalition of 78 other animal protection groups and non-governmental organisations from Europe will participate as observers in this important debate at the EU.

The United States could also follow this example. A bill submitted to Congress has already proposed a ban on the sale of kangaroo products. This would mean that major manufacturers of football boots, who are believed to purchase hundreds of thousands of kangaroo hides each year, would no longer be permitted to sell kangaroo products.