Professional kangaroo harvesters are busier than ever, and yet some are more than ready to call it a day on their time in the industry. 

The kangaroo population has exploded across the Western Plains off the back of several strong seasons. 

While harvesters on the ground have no shortage of targets, a low quota and even lower industry demand has left them high and dry. 

“We were producing around 35 to 40 tonnes a week up to about three weeks ago. We’ve just been put on quotas, and that number has been cut in half,” a Western Plains professional kangaroo harvester said about the region. 

Alongside the quotas, more competitive industry pricing for other meats has meant that the demand for kangaroo meat isn’t there anymore. 

“The price of chicken is so low…that’s now competing in the same space. 12 months ago cat food used 100 per cent kangaroo, and now they’re back using 25 per cent kangaroo,” the shooter said. 

According to him, it’s cut the pay check back from $1.40 per kilogram to $1. 

“For an individual shooter to shoot 4000 kangaroos a year at $1 a kilo, their taxable income would be about $51 thousand. There’s not enough money in it and it’s driving people out of the industry,” he said. 

The kangaroo harvesting industry is failing landholders and professional harvesters. IMAGE: Kangaroo Management Taskforce

It’s bad timing for the landholders who are knocking down the doors of professional harvesters, hoping for help to control the explosion of numbers on their property. 

“Usually it was me having to think about ‘where am I gonna go tonight?’ but I get a phone call once a day now, and they make the decision for me,” the harvester said. 

Despite having one of the busiest years yet - having already culled 4000 animals this year - the new limitations on how much he will be paid and how many animals he can harvest has forced him to consider whether it’s worthwhile. 

“I’m at the point now that if (the price) goes back much further, I’d be better off going back contracting,” he said. 

According to surveys conducted by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, the kangaroo population across the Western Plains is estimated to have grown by almost 900,000 since last year. 

At a time where landholders need professional harvesters more than ever, the industry could be failing them. 

“I’m concerned for the future of the industry at this rate.”