The Andrews Labor Government will provide long term certainty for farmers and the kangaroo pet food industry, establishing a new regulatory framework and developing a long-term Kangaroo Management Plan.
The new framework will support the operation of an ongoing kangaroo pet food program in Victoria and include safeguards to ensure that harvesting is sustainable and animal welfare requirements are met.
Strong compliance and enforcement requirements will be central to the new framework.
The current Kangaroo Pet Food Trial will be extended until 30 September 2019 to allow the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to establish the regulatory framework and Kangaroo Management Plan, and to mitigate impacts on participants.
From 1 October 2019, kangaroos in Victoria will be able to be harvested and processed in accordance with the Plan, approved by DEWLP and administered by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR).
The new regulatory framework and Kangaroo Management Plan will establish kangaroo harvesting zones and set appropriate annual quotas for each zone.
Regular statewide kangaroo population surveys will be conducted to ensure quotas remain sustainable.
The framework will also take into account the continuing ability for landholders to apply for an Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) to control kangaroos on their own property. However, these carcasses will not be processed under the new system.
The need for a new regulatory framework and Kangaroo Management Plan was informed by the evaluation of the current trial, which identified that Victoria’s ATCW system was not suited to managing the sustainability of kangaroo population levels, with the introduction of commercial processing of carcasses for pet food.
The development of the new Kangaroo Management Plan will include input from community, environment groups and industry.
The trial evaluation report is available at .
Quote attributable to Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes
“We’ve listened to farmers’ concerns and that’s why we’re taking action to sustainably manage kangaroo populations and reduce waste going forward to the benefit of farmers and our environment.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“This decision is about the sustainable management of kangaroos in Victoria and ensuring commercial drivers don’t influence the current Authority to Control Wildlife system.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020