University report’s false claims damage Kangaroo Industry: Coulton
23-February-2011
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has slammed a report from the University of Technology Sydney targeting the Kangaroo Industry.
Mr Coulton stated in a speech in Parliament that he believed the report released by University of Technology Sydney’s Institute of Sustainable Futures entitled Advocating Kangaroo Meat – towards ecological benefit or plunder, makes numerous false claims in relation to kangaroo meat and their impact on farming in an attempt to damage the Kangaroo industry.
“A report on the sustainability of the kangaroo industry done in a transparent and even-handed manner would be worthwhile, but this report has clearly set out to follow an agenda.”
Among the misleading claims the report makes, is that the average Australian sheep gives a carcass weight of 49kg, whereas a sheep carcass weight of 49kg would result in a 110kg live sheep. The average sheep’s carcass weight is around 21kg. These blatantly wrong figures severely impact the creditability of this report.
The report also goes on to wrongly argue that Kangaroos only yield 1.5kg of useable meat whereas the correct figure for this is that Kangaroos yield 12kg of useable meat.
“The Kangaroo industry is a very important industry in my electorate. Not only does it provide employment but is also actively involved in the management of kangaroos. It provides a valuable service in managing the kangaroo numbers.”
“The report makes no attempt to examine the kangaroo industry’s numerous positive environmental benefits, not the least of which is that kangaroos do not emit methane, making their meat and leather a greenhouse-friendly option,” Mr Coulton stated.
“Kangaroos are a resource which can be utilised sustainably, so why no use them? It appears that this document was produced with a predetermined outcome in mind. If this is the type of science that the institute puts its name to, are the taxpayers’ dollars being spent wisely?”