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The battle for Victoria's kangaroos
According to the Weekly Times, new Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has spoken out in support of the cruel kangaroo pet food trial in Victoria and says he has left the door open for hunting kangaroos for human consumption in Victoria.
Last month the Weekly Times wrote that “MORE than 2200 kangaroos had been commercially processed in Victoria since a ban on the practice was lifted last year” and that “The former Coalition Government initiated a two-year trial in March last year allowing culled kangaroos to be harvested for domestic pet food in parts of North East and western Victoria".
ASK responded with this letter and sent it to various other media outlets across Victoria.
Dear Editor,
It's a shame Premier Andrews is supporting the continuation of Victoria's commercial kangaroo processing trial (Victorian Commercial Processing Trial Hits 2200,11/3/15), despite increasing evidence the kangaroo industry is unsupervised, cruel and unhygienic. The warnings are clear that the kangaroo meat industry is a risk to us, our pets, and to the hundreds of thousands of kangaroo joeys that die a cruel death every year as a result. The poor hygiene practices inherent within this industry continue to be exposed with Russia recently placing another ban on kangaroo meat imports after repeatedly testing dangerous levels of bacteria in shipments destined for their dining tables. Documents released under Freedom of Information to the Greens recently also exposed significant hygiene breaches with 25% of inspections by the Food Authority revealing food safety compliance breaches. Our pets aren't safe either with vets now warning kangaroo pet meat can be dangerous and even fatal for your pets due to the high levels of sulphur dioxide added to kangaroo meat for pets(University of Sydney). Despite claims by some kangaroo processing companies that they don't kill females, government data shows that at least 130,000 female kangaroos were killed by the kangaroo meat and skin industry in 2014 alone, resulting in the cruel death of thousands of pouch and at-foot dependent joeys who were decapitated, bludgeoned to death, or left to die as orphans from starvation, stress, predation and exposure after their mother was shot. There is something very wrong when a man is charged with aggravated cruelty for bashing to death seven puppies, yet the commercial kangaroo industry is legally sanctioned when it bludgeons hundreds of kangaroo joeys to death every night as part of it's profit driven industry.
We encourage everyone to contact their local and metro media including local papers and radio, telling them the truth about this cruel, dirty and unsustainable industry. When you speak out, not only does it provide an alternative viewpoint and educate people, but it encourages others to speak out too. It makes them realise they are not alone and gives them confidence to stand up for kangaroos too.
If you live in Victoria, please contact Premier Andrews and tell him you oppose this horrific trial and why.
Please feel free to use any of the information we used in our letter. Thank you!!
Office of the Premier
1 Treasury Place
Melbourne, Victoria
Australia, 3002
03 9651 5000
http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/contact-us
You can view some of the media coverage on this issue at the news links below:
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