Shooters and farmers in Victoria have had a win, with the State Government set to make permanent a near five-year trial of processing culled kangaroos into pet food.
The trial has been contentious.
Farmers argue the marsupials compete with livestock for pasture and that their numbers are out of control but animal welfare groups dispute this and have called for the trial to be shut down permanently.
The trial was due to end on Sunday but has been extended at the 11th hour, ahead of the creation of a permanent new industry from October 1.
This is despite a review of the trial by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning this year that found it had created a financial incentive to cull more animals, which threatened to compromise the integrity of the program.
The number of kangaroos culled in parts of the state approved for the trial has heavily outweighed cull numbers in other parts of the state where the animals are not processed for pet food.
"This may not only compromise the aim of reducing waste but could also threaten the sustainability of kangaroo populations in future years if an expectation of a steady supply of carcasses was created," the review of the trial warned.
The Victorian Farmers Federation this week said kangaroo numbers were "out of control" and urged the government to help it manage their numbers and assist with the disposal of carcasses.
The current trial rules will continue until October 1, when a new plan for processing carcasses into pet food will launch, establishing new kangaroo harvesting zones and annual quotas.
Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said that the decision was "about the sustainable management of kangaroos in Victoria and ensuring commercial drivers don't influence the current authority to control wildlife system".
The review found the current control system for kangaroos was not suited to managing sustainable populations while also setting up a pet food industry.
Tina Lawrence, of the Victorian Wildlife Shelters Coalition, said kangaroo numbers went up during times of good rain and plummeted in drought.
She said the animals would be under threat as a species if large numbers were culled in dry times.
"You have farmers and shooters with an expectation that they're going to be making money on a regular basis from these animals, not taking into account that there is boom and bust," Ms Lawrence said.
Upper house Shooters and Fishers MP Jeff Bourman said it was obvious "in my view and the view of anyone who bothers to go out and have a look, that they're not endangered".
He said the pet food industry was a good initiative for shooters, farmers and processors.
"If we don't continue this, all that will happen is those roos are still going to be culled but they're going to be left there to rot," he said.
