Roo industry seeking sausage market

While kangaroo steaks, silverside and rump continue to storm the globe, Queensland farmers are still desperately seeking a buyer for roo bangers.

Rural lobby group AgForce is meeting with the state and federal governments to discuss ways to manage plague populations of kangaroos and reinvigorate the kangaroo meat trade.

Since 2009, when Russia banned imports of Australian kangaroo meat due to bacterial contamination concerns, the industry has been hanging by a thread.

Many kangaroo meat processing facilities have become unviable and closed, including the Game Meat Processing (GMP) abattoir at Blackall, in central Queensland.

The industry is on its knees, GMP general manager Rex DeVantiers says.

"The reason the industry is struggling so much is because of the high Aussie dollar, a weak Euro cross-rate, high compliance costs for kangaroo shooters and the lack of new markets," Mr DeVantiers said.

A surging population of kangaroos, estimated at 20 million, is also placing immense pressure on pastures.

Mike Pratt whose farm is located 140km south of Longreach is seeing visible effects.

"Our stock are competing with them for the best feed," he said.

He estimated there could be between 8000 and 10,000 kangaroos on his property alone.

Tapping new markets for roo meat is seen as the best solution to help the struggling industry and deal with the overpopulation of kangaroos.

John Kelly, Australian Kangaroo Industry Association chief says top quality cuts of kangaroo meat - like steaks - continue to be exported to over 50 countries.

Mr Kelly says the problem is selling what is termed manufacturing meat - like sausage mince - from kangaroos.

"What we desperately need is for these other meat cuts to find a new market, as this is what the Russians were buying," he said.

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