Russians ban kangaroo-meat due to Systemic Oz hygiene problems

Hi Robyn, I read your letter with interest, and agree with most of your sentiments, however I might just try and raise a few points for discussion. Now before you get your blood up, so to speak, I do agree that we should not be exporting kangaroo products. I have killed and eaten the kangaroo, and found it to be quite a nice meat to eat. I have also worked in and around the industry, in positions ranging from shooting offsider to meat slicer, including in the plants that have caused the shutdown of imports into Russia. Why? It is great money, in an area that it is hard to earn money in. However to adress the issues that are raised in your letter. 1. Sustainability: I agree with your comments about Killing the biggest animals leading to a deterioration of the gene pool. You are dead right, although I must admit I have never really thought about it that way. I agree that current practices do not bode well for the longevity of the Kangaroo as a species. However, now that the export market has collapsed, I believe there may be a looming problem with roo numbers. Remember that the vast majority of roos are living on country that has been 'improved' by graziers, meaning that for the most part, introduction of management practicies that increase the carrying capacity of land, has modified the kangaroo's natural rangeland far beyond what they evolved to cope with. The natural outcome - a population explosion. What will we do then when the next drought hits and all the improved pastures wither away, as they tend to do? (Farmers haven't got that one figured out yet) What do you think? 2. 'Inhumane harvest' I think you need to draw a distinction between the Kangaroo harvester and the recreational shooter. I concede that in the case of the recreational shooter & the farmer employing pest control tactics, humane destruction techniques are not adhered to, and the animal welfare considerations for these types of shooters should be more strictly policed. However, for the professional shooter delivering a product to the 'box', I reject your statement outright. Panicked animals being shot from a moving vehicle?? That may be the case for the recreational shooter, but not from one trying to make a living. Most animals are shot in about the 200 - 500m range, a distance at which they will readily 'sit' and be clearly seen in the spotlight. Professional shooters use high powered rifles with telescopic sights, and at night, one can not see anything through a telescopic sight unless the weapon is rested - meaning the vehicle is stopped and the shooter is resting the weapon on a bar mounted on the windscreen, or off the drivers side mirror. Unless the animal is still, the shot is not taken. Remember, the people are in this for the money, they don't want to waste expensive ammunition, or endless litres of diesel chasing mobs of roos around trying to 'nab one on the fly'. The ideal night is when there is a light breeze, and a bright moon. Kangaroos will readily 'sit' in this weather, as they are totally sure of their surrounds - it maximises their chances of detecting a predator. You'll find that on a windy dark night, pro shooters will not even go out, as the roos will be nervous and will not 'sit', with the weather conditions limiting their senses and as a result they can not easily detect predators. In any case, a shooter cannot sell anything that is not shot in the head. It is illegal, and if they do, their licence can be suspended. Shooters try not to shoot females with joeys, their meat is dark, and they won't get paid. Female roos are easy to pick in the spotlight. But you are right - if a nursing mother is shot, the joey's fate is nothing less than barbaric. I have witnessed this many times, and I sit here with my head hung in shame for not having done anything to stop it. Food Safety: I agree that pre processing plant, from a food safety perspective, the harvesting practices are not in any way acceptable for human consumption. AQIS needs to be held to account for signing off on the 'fact' that the harvest process meets any sort of hygiene standard. AQIS does have a standard for roo shooters rigs, including water and gutting racks (Roos are not gutted on the ground), galvanised iron/stainless steel processing surfaces etc. But to say that the conditions would meet a HACCP quality system or it's equivelant, which is the ideal standard for a food processing system, would be a gross overstatement, and an outright lie. The Russians are quite right in expressing their concerns about systemic QA problems. The current system of harvest does not, and will never be a safe way of handling foods for human consumption. Full Stop. In the plant, AQIS veterinary inpectors inspect for parasites, so wormy and fungal infected animals do not make it through the inspection process. I am told that viruses cannot live through the freezing process, where all meat produced is snap frozen to minus 35 degrees, so from a consumption point of view, the product is quite safe from that perspective. Good plant hygeine practices, independantly audited, reduce the incidence of salmonella to less than any Australian standard. Incidences of Salmonella & E Coli are a failure of AQIS standards being applied, and not a reflection of the source product. The same problems occur in other meat sources when processors fail to maintain the appropriate standard of hygiene practices. However - handling the chilled product before it is packed is quite dangerous. I am thinking in particular of Q Fever - a zoonotic bacterial infection that is carried readily by Kangaroos. I contracted Q Fever from working in a wild game plant. 10 days in hospital and 15 kgs lighter, with recurring fevers, joint problems and occasional physe issues, I can tell everyone who reads this that Q Fever is one of the nastier diseases one can run across. In summary I agree with you, but think you need to steer away from emotive exaggerations and concentrate on the critical points: 1: Australia cannot guarantee the safety of its product for Human consumption. - The process of in-field harvesting cannot be brought to acceptable hygeine standards. 2: The practice of 'unmanaged' harvesting will lead to the deterioration of the Kangaroo gene pool 3: The policing and regulatory structure surrounding the killing of female kangaroos and the subsequent clubbing of Joeys is inadequate. The practice is barbaric, and must be stopped. Let me know what you think. - Rob