Out and About Sunraysia: We’re Culling Kangaroos — So Why Aren’t We Eating More of Them?

Every year, large numbers of kangaroos are commercially harvested or authorised for lethal control across Victoria.

But when you compare those numbers with the number processed for people to eat, a fairly obvious question emerges.

If we're going to kill kangaroos anyway, why aren't we making greater use of the meat?

This isn't an argument for increasing the number of kangaroos killed.

It's a question about what happens to animals that are already being removed under Victoria's commercial harvesting and wildlife control systems.

Two very different ways of controlling kangaroos

Victoria essentially has two systems involved in the figures we're looking at.

Under the Kangaroo Harvesting Program, authorised professional harvesters can take Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos, with suitable carcasses removed for commercial use.

Under the separate Authority to Control Wildlife system, commonly known as an ATCW, landholders and land managers can be authorised to control kangaroos causing damage to property, agriculture or environmental values, or where wildlife creates other management concerns.

One of the major differences is what happens afterwards.

Under the commercial harvesting program the carcass can enter an approved commercial supply chain. Under the ATCW system, landholders generally undertake the control and disposal themselves.

Source: Victorian Government – Kangaroos

So how many are we talking about?

According to the Victorian Government's Kangaroo Harvesting Program 2025 Annual Report, a total of 76,363 kangaroos were commercially harvested in Victoria during 2025.

That consisted of:

73,613 Eastern Grey Kangaroos
2,750 Western Grey Kangaroos

Source: Victorian Government – Kangaroo Harvesting Program 2025 Annual Report

But commercial harvesting is only part of the picture.

Victorian Government ATCW figures show permits issued during 2025 authorised the lethal control of up to:

162,644 Eastern Grey Kangaroos
16,419 Western Grey Kangaroos
3,869 Red Kangaroos

Combined, that's another 182,932 kangaroos authorised for lethal control.

There is an important distinction here.

That does not mean 182,932 kangaroos were definitely killed.

The Conservation Regulator says these figures are the maximum number authorised under the permits. It says the actual number controlled is understood to be lower because many permit holders don't use their full allocation.

Source: Victorian Government – Authorities to Control Wildlife: 2025

And how many ended up as food?

This is where the comparison gets interesting.

PrimeSafe's latest annual report records 56,629 kangaroos processed for human consumption during 2024–25.

PrimeSafe specifically notes that its game-meat figures only include animals harvested for human consumption and do not include kangaroos sent to pet-meat processing facilities.

In the previous financial year, 2023–24, the equivalent figure was just 21,123 kangaroos.

That means the number processed for people to eat increased by around 168 per cent in a single year.

Source: PrimeSafe Annual Report 2024–25 – Tables 2 and 3

Roughly one in five

If we combine the 76,363 commercially harvested kangaroos with the 182,932 authorised for lethal control, we get a potential total of 259,295.

Comparing that with the 56,629 processed for human consumption gives a figure of approximately 21.8 per cent — or roughly one in five.

That figure needs to be treated as an indication rather than an exact percentage.

There are two reasons for that.

Firstly, the ATCW number is the maximum number authorised rather than a confirmed kill count.

Secondly, the commercial harvest and ATCW figures cover calendar year 2025, while PrimeSafe's human-consumption figure covers the 2024–25 financial year.

Because not every animal authorised under an ATCW is actually killed, the real proportion of kangaroos killed that eventually become food for people would be higher than 21.8 per cent.

But even allowing for that, the figures highlight a sizeable gap between kangaroo control and kangaroo meat reaching our plates.

Does the species make a difference?

There's another interesting side to the discussion — not everybody believes all kangaroo tastes the same.

There is an opinion among some people within the industry and among kangaroo eaters that Grey Kangaroos make particularly good eating.

Macro Meats founder Ray Borda previously told the ABC that Grey Kangaroos were more flavoursome, while describing Red Kangaroo as milder and more similar to beef.

Source: ABC Rural – comments from Macro Meats founder Ray Borda

But even that isn't clear-cut.

Australian research into kangaroo meat quality involving consumer taste panels found Red Kangaroo cuts were rated more palatable than Western Grey cuts in that particular trial.

So taste is obviously subjective, and there is no evidence that Victoria's control program simply divides kangaroos into those considered good to eat and those that aren't.

Source: AgriFutures Australia – Meat Quality of Kangaroos

Still, species, location, carcass quality, processor demand and the practicality of recovering an animal could all affect whether there is a commercial market for it.

It is also worth noting that Red Kangaroos appeared in Victoria's 2025 ATCW figures, with up to 3,869 authorised for lethal control, while Victoria's commercial harvesting program currently covers Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos.

That leaves another question worth asking: could some animals currently being culled be commercially unattractive even though the meat itself could potentially be used?

Nutritionally, kangaroo has plenty going for it

Whatever people's views on eating kangaroo, nutritionally it stacks up remarkably well.

A current supermarket pack of K-Roo diced kangaroo lists approximately 21 grams of protein and just 1.1 grams of total fat per 100 grams.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has also specifically analysed kangaroo meat as part of its Australian game-meat program, including nutrients such as protein, fat, iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

Sources: Coles – K-Roo Kangaroo Diced nutritional information | Food Standards Australia New Zealand – Game Meats Analytical Program

So we're hardly talking about a nutritionally poor product.

It's a very lean Australian red meat and an excellent source of protein.

There's more to kangaroo than steak

For people who haven't looked closely at the kangaroo section of the supermarket lately, there's also considerably more variety than many might expect.

Current supermarket lines include:

mince
burgers
sausages
steaks
marinated steaks
fillets
sizzle steaks
diced kangaroo
stir-fry strips

That means kangaroo doesn't necessarily require people to completely change the way they cook.

Kangaroo mince can replace beef in a bolognese or lasagne. Burgers and sausages can go on the barbecue. Diced meat can go into casseroles and curries, while strips can be used in a stir-fry.

And steaks and fillets can simply be another red-meat option.

Source: Coles – current kangaroo range

But it's not exactly cheap

Perhaps one of the more surprising parts of the story is the price.

When we checked current Coles prices, kangaroo products included:

Kangaroo mince — $15/kg
Diced kangaroo — $23/kg
Kangaroo stir-fry — $26/kg
Sizzle steak — $27.50/kg
Kangaroo steak — $30/kg
Kangaroo fillet — $38.75/kg

Prices can vary between stores and locations, but kangaroo clearly isn't being marketed simply as a cheap alternative to conventional meat.

Around $30/kg for kangaroo steak puts it in similar territory to a number of everyday beef steak cuts.

Source: Coles – Kangaroo range and current prices

Which raises another fairly obvious question.

If we're already removing large numbers of kangaroos, why isn't kangaroo meat cheaper?

Of course, the animal itself is only one part of the cost.

Someone still needs to professionally harvest it, recover the carcass, keep it chilled, transport it, inspect it, process it, package it and distribute it.

That's a very different supply chain from cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens moving through large established farming and processing systems.

Why can't a culled kangaroo simply become food?

Food safety and traceability are a big part of the answer.

A kangaroo destined for people to eat has to enter the regulated commercial harvesting system.

That means authorised harvesters, proper handling, accredited vehicles and cool storage, traceability and processing through appropriately licensed game-meat facilities.

Victoria only opened its Kangaroo Harvesting Program to human consumption from 28 January 2021.

PrimeSafe requires kangaroos harvested for human consumption to be supplied to a licensed game-meat processing facility, with meat intended for people handled separately from carcasses destined for pet food.

Source: PrimeSafe – Game Harvester Guideline

So an animal shot under an ordinary control permit can't simply be loaded into the back of the ute, taken to a butcher and put on a supermarket shelf.

There are good food-safety reasons for that.

But it also means a potentially usable animal can be killed under one system without having any practical pathway into the human food supply.

And that was partly why human consumption was introduced

Interestingly, when Victoria announced the change allowing commercially harvested kangaroo meat to be sold for human consumption in 2021, the State Government explicitly talked about reducing waste.

The government's announcement said allowing meat to be processed for people would give harvesters and processors more options to make use of animals already being taken under the program.

Source: Victorian Government – Paddock to Plate Option on the Table for Kangaroo Harvest

So are we missing an opportunity?

Again, this isn't an argument for going out and killing more kangaroos.

The numbers in this story relate to animals already being commercially harvested or approved for control under existing wildlife management programs.

The question is what happens after the decision to kill the animal has been made.

If more suitable kangaroos could enter the regulated harvesting system rather than simply being killed and disposed of, could we make better use of a resource that's already there?

Could increased processing make kangaroo cheaper?

Could a larger market support more regional harvesting and processing jobs?

And could a lean, high-protein Australian meat become a much more normal sight in the weekly shopping trolley?

Or is the biggest hurdle simply that Australians don't want to eat it?

That's where we'd like to hear from you.