We were appalled to read in the Loddon Herald (1) that the Loddon Valley Abattoir in Inglewood is seeking permission to reopen in as a kangaroo processing facility. They want to initially process 1000 kangaroos per week and could increase capacity to 2000 kangaroos. The presence of this facility will no doubt encourage more slaughter of our precious kangaroos and contribute to their concerning decline. The signatories object to this proposal on the following grounds:

1.     The kangaroo industry is a national disgrace. It is an insult to all the Indigenous people for whom kangaroos are Totem, a kick in the guts to our selfless wildlife volunteers, a danger to regional Victorians and distressing to all who value our wildlife and animal welfare. The commercial killing of kangaroos is the world’s largest terrestrial wildlife slaughter for which we are condemned internationally and will doubtless also be condemned by history.

2.     The kangaroo industry is cruel. It is entirely unregulated as kangaroos are shot in the wild at night with no supervision to ensure compliance with animal welfare requirements. Data from the recent NSW parliamentary inquiry into the commercial kangaroo industry indicates that 40% of kangaroos are mis-shot and die slow agonising deaths whilst joeys are considered a waste product and bludgeoned, decapitated or escape to die from exposure, starvation and predation.(2)

3.     The kangaroo industry is unsustainable. Independent studies show that kangaroo populations are declining, and the flawed rhetoric of the industry has recently been exposed in the NSW inquiry. Even without delving into the methodological errors and analytical biases in the official Victorian kangaroo survey reports (which they have proven by producing estimated increases that are biologically impossible), the numbers for Loddon from the Arthur Rylah Institute suggests that ALL of the kangaroos (estimated 83,800 (3)) in the local government area would be gone within less than a year at the proposed processing rate of 2,000 carcasses per week. Given that the entire Kangaroo Harvest Program quota for the Lower Wimmera zone is only 25,850 kangaroos in 2021 (4), the facility will run out of legally killed kangaroos from the area within 13 weeks of opening.

4.     The kangaroo industry is killing tourism. Kangaroos are iconic and worth much more alive for their inherent, Totemic and tourist value. In fact, tourism generates more to Australia's economy than everything else put together, with nature-based tourism the most rapidly growing sector. Studies by Griffith University and Tourism Australia show the biggest attraction of our country to international travellers is our wildlife, proving that live kangaroos are worth far more to our economy than pet meat.

5.     The kangaroo industry is a health hazard. The wildlife trade is a known cause of virus transmission and emerging pandemics (75% of new infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic (5) (6)) and yet we still foolishly continue to exploit our wildlife. Kangaroo “harvesting” is not hygienic with carcasses driven around all night covered in dust and insects. Kangaroo meat has a high incidence of parasites, toxoplasmosis, e-coli, salmonella and other pathogens. Imports of kangaroo meat have been banned and stocks removed from shelves in areas across the globe on hygiene and animal welfare grounds. The potential health catastrophe for locals in the nearby town of Inglewood is exacerbated by inevitable smells, pollution and waste from the facility.

We call on the Loddon Shire Council, the Environment Protection Authority and PrimeSafe to reject the proposed kangaroo processing facility in Inglewood. The unethical, unsustainable, tourism-stifling and health-threating slaughter of these gentle native creatures is not worth a handful jobs. Kangaroos are unique, sentient, sensitive, social and family-oriented - they deserve our respect and protection. 

Take further action here:
https://www.facebook.com/105485644303267/posts/389878999197262

#noinglewoodkangarooprocessing

#stopkillingkangaroos

 

REFERENCES

(1)    https://www.loddonherald.com.au/post/pet-food-plan-for-town

(2)    https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/transcripts/2598/Transcript%20-%2015%20June%202021%20-%20UNCORRECTED.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1K0VaHzYi_HFUf71jKTsSWkhrZ64cNfFRXTaRHzD8Z6dVdec83hiBR4T4

(3)    https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/520883/Kangaroo-survey-fact-sheet-2020.pdf

(4)    https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/507164/2021-Kangaroo-Harvest-Quota-Determination.pdf

(5)    https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/basics/zoonotic-diseases.html

(6)    http://thinkkangaroos.uts.edu.au/issues/hygiene