Australian farmers urged to raise kangaroos, not sheep

[Animal 0]

Australian farmers urged to raise kangaroos, not sheep


Wed Jul 11, 1:31 AM ET



SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian farmers should rear kangaroos rather than sheep because they do less damage to the country's environment, according to a prominent ecologist.

University of Sydney ecologist Chris Dickman believes much Australian farmland used for sheep or wheat would be better suited to kangaroos, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Dickman said farmers in areas with low rainfall would receive a better return from kangaroos because they are better suited to dry conditions, the ABC reported.

"I think it's a great alternative to start looking at in areas where over-grazing by sheep just hasn't worked and where incomes are coming down where it is not sustainable," he said at a biodiversity conference in Sydney this week.

Dickman said overgrazing by sheep eroded topsoil, unlike kangaroos which were light on the environment.

However Australians have long believed the country gained prosperity "on the sheep's back" and farmers indicated that kangaroo farming was impractical.

New South Wales Farmers Association vice-president Graham Morphett also said there was a lack of demand kangaroo meat.

"Farmers are always looking for new ways and new markets. They would do it if it was a possible but I haven't heard of any people changing over," he told the ABC.

Australia has almost 60 million wild kangaroos that support a market in meat and other products worth about 200 million dollars (172 million US a year) according to the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia's website.

The website www.kangaroo-industry.asn.au lists a range of delicacies for a marsupial menu, including herb and caraway crusted kangaroo escalopes on olive polenta, wallaby bolognese and seared kangaroo with Guinness glaze.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070711/sc_afp/australiaenvironmentfarmkangaroooffbeat