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AWS Policy Position

Kangaroos for Methane Reduction

Integrating kangaroos into pastoral grazing systems (IKGS) would reduce methane emissions, increase soil carbon sequestration, lower vegetation loss, reduce water consumption and protect the biodiversty of riparian areas. Changing to reduce the current waste of kangaroos would enable Australia to produce the same quantity of meat and leather while earning Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Our proposal for a new methodology would integrate sustainable kangaroo management directly into the agricultural sector, providing a robust addition to mechanisms to help meet emission reduction targets while fostering innovation and a diversified economy.

  • Currently, millions of low-emission kangaroos are culled to make room for more methane-producing livestock. Instead of expanding cattle, sheep, and goat numbers, Australia should leverage its existing kangaroo population to produce low-emission meat and leather at scale. This approach would also create new private sector jobs, fostering an innovative, diversified, and resilient economy. Enhanced handling, including Indigenous participation, processing, product description, and provenance marketing, is essential to supplement carbon credits and increase the value of kangaroos.
  • Partial replacement of livestock with kangaroos, or reducing livestock numbers as kangaroo value rises, would lower methane emissions. Current proposals to achieve carbon neutrality in the livestock industries rely strongly on offsets. The proposed AWS methodology would assist integrate sustainable practices directly into the agricultural sector, providing a robust solution for meeting emission reduction targets. It would leverage the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme to improve the financial viability of harvesting culled kangaroos by crediting the displacement of traditional livestock products.

From Waste to Greenhouse Gas Savings

  • 4.5 million kangaroos were not harvested in 2020.
  • They were available under State management harvest quotas.
  • If they had entered the commercial trade, it would produce 80 million kg of kangaroo meat.
  • 18 kg of usable meat from each kangaroo carcass.
  • The equivalent amount of meat would come from 400,000 steers.
  • 200 kg of usable meat per steer carcass.
  • 4.5 million kangaroos produce 0.048 million tonnes CO2 equivalent.
  • 400,000 cattle produce 0.62 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
  • So cattle emit 13 times more methane per kilogram of meat than kangaroos.
  • This saving could generate ACCUs for landholders who made the change.
  • If the kangaroo quota was met and replaced with the equivalent amount of beef, it would abate approximately 0.57 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
  • Nearly 2% of all the total beef livestock emissions would be abated.

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