A radical shift in thinking where kangaroos are treated as "assets not pests" would have a commercial payoff for Queensland producers as well as better animal welfare outcomes, says a prominent zoologist.
Dr George Wilson, a Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, has been beating the drum on kangaroo management for years, urging bodies such as Meat and Livestock Australia to help turn it into a thriving industry.
A recent research paper co-authored by Dr Wilson argued that commercial incentives should be put in place so landholders had a reason to harvest kangaroos on their properties.
Putting more value on kangaroo meat and allowing landholders to commercially harvest kangaroos would have other environmental and conservation benefits, Dr Wilson said.
"If kangaroos did have a commercial value we could take a higher proportion, we could make more money and the graziers would get the benefit," Dr Wilson said.
According to the research paper, Queensland failed to capitalise on $20 million worth of kangaroo meat in 2014 due to its current pest management approach.
"Such amateur, non-commercial kangaroo control has poor management outcomes," the paper read.
"'Shoot and let lie' means that regulators cannot assess how many kangaroos are taken."
Animal rights campaigns, which hampered the development of the kangaroo meat industry, also had a harmful effect on kangaroo welfare, Dr Wilson said.
Left unchecked, kangaroo populations would thrive and then dramatically crash in times of drought.
"What we've got to do is increase the numbers of animals that are taken to smooth out those big peaks, because the crashes really are an animal welfare issue.
"That's the irony. The animal rights people that want to shut down the industry are kicking an own goal.
"They are leading to more poor animal welfare outcomes and suffering than any that would be perceived in the kangaroo industry."
The ideas promoted by Dr Wilson face significant resistance, and it is a tough sell to get many producers to see kangaroos as anything but a pest.
Dr Wilson pointed to the development of the goat meat industry as a blueprint for what could happen with kangaroos.
"The cornerstone of my thesis is that, until MLA can bring their skills to improving the quality and supply of kangaroos, kangaroos will continue to be worth pretty much nothing," he said.
“In 2017 Australia’s 40 million kangaroos were almost exclusively on the properties of MLA and wool industry ratepayers,” the paper read.
Waroo Game Meats is a processor in the small Queensland town of Surat, which supplies kangaroo meat for human consumption.
Co-founder Bettie Mickelbourgh said it was one thing to focus on producers, but processors also needed to be part of the conversation.
"I've been in the kangaroo industry most of my life," she said.
"It's been a big struggle for us. Why I get cranky is because processors are never included in the discussions."
She said people working in the industry got "little thanks and little money", and that industry bodies such as MLA had turned their back on kangaroo meat.
"It's such a sad day to see people turning their backs on the industry," she said.
Dr Wilson’s paper was co-authored with Dr Melanie Edwards and published in the latest edition of Australian Zoologist.
