Tonight we had a couple of [kangaroo mini-roasts](http://www.macromeats-gourmetgame.com.au/Products.aspx) for dinner, bought from our local Woolworths supermarket.
I’ve eaten kangaroo many times before, and like it just as much as beef. Megan has never been quite so keen, simply because it’s kangaroo. However, we both enjoyed this pre-packaged roast. It was quick and easy to cook, and tasted great.
So why is eating kangaroo meat good for the environment?
Kangaroos are soft-footed native animals, and so don’t damage the land like hoofed sheep and cattle can. They eat less than sheep and cattle, are adapted to drought conditions, and produce little or no methane (a major greenhouse gas, with livestock being one of the biggest sources).
From a humanitarian point of view, kangaroo meat is better too. Kangaroos free-range in the wild, and are harvested humanely. The RSPCA has independently monitored kangaroo harvesting, and [reports](http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/index.html) that 99.8% of kangaroos commercially killed are dispatched by a high powered bullet to the head or the junction of the head and neck. This is much better than intensively-reared pigs, chickens, sheep or cattle and the way they’re dispatched in slaughter-houses.
The RSPCA [issued a report](http://www.kangaroo-industry.asn.au/media/animal_welfare.html) that said “if achieved correctly, kangaroo culling is considered one of the most humane forms of animal slaughter. An animal killed instantly within its own environment is under less stress than domestic stock that have been herded, penned, transported.”
Some years ago I had a holiday in [Wilcannia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilcannia,_New_South_Wales). Yeah, I know, it’s not your run-of-the-mill tourist destination! We were visiting friends working there as teachers. I saw roo shooters in action, and they really are dead-accurate with their rifles. If they don’t get a clean shot first go, the kangaroo is no good for sale. They will also lose their license if they don’t get consistent clean kills. So there is a very strong economic incentive for them to do the right thing.
The population of kangaroos in 2007 was estimated at 24 million. They are one of the most abundant large wild land mammals on Earth.
Organisations such as the CSIRO, RSPCA and Greenpeace all seem to agree on these points according to articles [in Ecos](http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?act=view_file&file_id=EC145p26.pdf) and [the ABC Science Show](http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/skippysizeme/).
From a dietary point of view, kangaroo is also a very desirable meat. It’s very lean, high in iron and protein, and won’t contain any of the usual undesirable chemicals found in domesticated livestock (hormones, antibiotics, medications such as drenches, etc). Because of the rigorous inspection standards (much higher than other farmed meats), it is also of higher quality at the retail outlet and carries a much lower risk of food poisoning. It’s also pretty cheap compared to other red meats.
Heck, even [Don Burke agrees](http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/1998/archives/26?p=2870) – to ignore him is positively unAustralian!
Have you tried kangaroo? Do you eat it regularly? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Comments
40 responses to “Kangaroo – The Sustainable Red Meat”
My head tells me your dead right but my heart doesn’t allow me to eat Skippy and my kids would leave home if I even suggested it. My solution is not to eat much meat at all.
@Greenfumb: A lot of people (my wife included!) have the same reaction to the mere thought of eating Skippy. I don’t understand why most of them don’t feel the same about cute little fluffy white baa-lambs, big doe-eyed calves, Babe the pig, young (40-day-old) chickens, etc. I respect that your personal solution is to cut back on all kinds of meat, instead of ignoring the issue.
@Unsigned Artist Radio: Yeah, we eat it. It’s not that common, and most Australians wouldn’t eat it more than once or twice per year. But lots of people do eat it regularly and you can buy it in mainstream butchers and supermarkets. We do export kangaroo meat to the US, but I expect it would be expensive and only available from specialist sources. To me it tastes a bit like very lean beef, but a bit more of a gamey flavour.
I had no idea that people actually ate Kangaroo meat! I mean living in the U.S. I’m not sure we really even have that option…
What does it taste like?
Yes I do eat kangaroo meat. I don’t particularly like the taste of it tho. It’s so rich, but it’s a good tender meat. Cheap and healthy too. My husband will only eat it if I don’t tell him it’s kangaroo.
I really wish the average Aussie would stop with this whole “it’s wrong to eat kangaroos” business. We had a whole discussion about it over a church bbq a few weeks back. So many people are against it. Maybe because it’s a new concept to the mainstream….
@Jasmine: It frustrates me too. I think people live in denial about where their meat comes from, how it’s raised, how it’s killed, etc. When they’re used to a certain type of meat (lamb, beef, chicken) they don’t think about those things at all. When they encounter new types of meat (kangaroo, rabbit, emu, crocodile, goat, etc) they start to think about where it comes from and how it ends up in the supermarket, and it makes them uncomfortable. I’m sure if they saw a reality video showing the whole process of cute baby lamb to dinner plate, they’d be put off that too.
Hi Darren
You summed it up nicely:
“I don’t understand why most of them don’t feel the same about cute little fluffy white baa-lambs, big doe-eyed calves, Babe the pig, young (40-day-old) chickens, etc” and “I think people live in denial about where their meat comes from, how it’s raised, how it’s killed, etc”.
I wonder if local butcher’s sell roo meat? I must go and have a look-see.
Cheers
Chrissy
@Chrissy: I think the one in Kiama does. Wooworths certainly does, that’s where I bought the roast. Next I’m going to try kangaroo mince – in bolognese sauce, rissoles, lasagne, etc. We use a fair bit of mince, so if we can substitute kangaroo mince it’d be an improvement.
I would have to do a surprise on Vanessa to get her to eat it. That said, she was against eating rabbit. But after having a taste of my rabbit from a restaurant in Nelson BC, she changed her tune a bit. So we’ll see what meal I can whip up, mince sounds like a safe start.
@Jason: I thought Megan would be the same, but these roasts looked just like beef and tasted very good. She didn’t eat much, but I don’t think she’s against having it again. The mince idea is a good one, and I’m going to play around some more with that (perhaps without full disclosure at first!).
Kangaroo is the only red meat we eat now. The switch to roo was for environmental reasons – but I also love that it is much cheaper than other meats, tastes great and is healty. Did you see the cover of the Daily tele today (Sydney)?. Cute photo of a joey with am alarmist headline regarding the brutal killing of joeys when their mums are shot. I am sure these joeys are treated much better than many factory farmed animals. Off to read some of the news now for more info.
Cheers,
Tricia
@Tricia: Yeah, I saw the cover story this morning. What great timing for me to have posted my article! The joeys are killed humanely – the methods were developed by the RSPCA to be the most humane possible. It was stupid alarmist reporting. They didn’t run a story on all the unwanted calves killed by the dairy industry and sold as veal. People need to wake up and accept that eating meat involves killing animals – if you don’t like it, go vegan.
Forgot to say – I don’t recommend the kangaroo bangers (sausages)- not very nice. I can highly recommend the kebabs.
Thanks for the kanga banger tip. I imagine they’d be a bit too dry? Perhaps they’d be OK when done in a sauce, like curried sausages, or in a spaghetti sauce.
Hi Darren
I’m not a huge fan of Woollies (hence the butcher query) but sometimes necessity (or minimal or no other options) leaves us no choice. If I do go to Woollies, I certainly try to shop “ethically” (ie. minimal product packaging, Oz made, recycled, avoid generic supermarket homebrands etc). Our local IGA is ok (just more expensive and not as much variety – but that doesn’t bother me cause I really do not need to waste 20 minutes trying to choose a simple vanilla yoghurt!) 😉
Anyway – I like the mince idea
Cheers
Chrissy
@Chrissy: I’m with you on the Woollies thing, but it’s a long drive to any alternative. We do shop there, but try to choose stuff well. I figure at least we’re sending the message that there’s demand for those better products. Meat from the butcher outside Kiama Woollies is pretty good, and so is the butcher opposite the Club.
I know you’re right Darren,
I wouldn’t dream of eating a lamb or a piggy or a bunny or a veal calf either but I do think that eating roo meat would be more environmentally friendly just can’t actually bring myself to do it. Pathetic I know.
On the subject of Woolies, do you have Aussie Farmers Direct in your area, if you did that would cut down the number of visits you would need to make to Woolies. I have found that between AFD and the local farmers market I have hugely reduced the number of visits to big supermarkets.
@Greenfumb: I hadn’t heard of AFD before (for anyone else curious, they’re at http://www.aussiefarmers.com.au). Unfortunately they don’t service Kiama (or even Wollongong). We do have our fruit and vegies delivered every week by Mark and Liz from Naturally Fresh (http://www.hotfrog.com.au/Companies/Naturally-Fresh-Fruit-Vegetable-Home-Delivery-Service), though. They visit the Sydney markets several times a week, and deliver straight to your door. The produce is fresher and hasn’t been handled or picked over, plus it keeps us out of Woollies and away from temptation :-). We’ve never been happy with the fruit and veg from Woollies here in Kiama.
I had the exact same roast the other day, roasted in the webber, beautiful!
@DP: Cool! I reckon it’d go well in the Webber. I bought some kangaroo mince tonight, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to try it in the next couple of nights.
[…] you can use your old bread, less waste means better for the environment.” Darren Collins presents Kangaroo – The Sustainable Red Meat posted at Green-Change.com. Darren says, “Maybe it’s more for Australians, but the lesson here is […]
Hmm…, Darren. I watched it from the Discovery Channel that you must have the permission, before you’re opening the kangaroos farm, isn’t it? And, it also have some rules of hunting/killing the kangaroos as well…
@Wilson: I’m not sure if anyone would actually have a kangaroo farm. They’d be pretty hard to keep in, and need a wide area to roam in. As far as I know all the kangaroo meat sold is shot in the wild. The rules and regulations are very strict – have a look at some of the links above for details.
Re not being able to farm Kangaroo – thats one of the great environmental benefits. Farmers may one day realise that they can earn more from their Kangaroos than their sheep or cattle and start encouraging Kangaroos to their property. To do this they would need to pull down their fences, encourage natural regeneration, and maybe even revegetate some of their farm. That would be wonderful!
@Tricia: Kangaroos are not much like sheep, are they? 🙂 It would indeed be wonderful to see a bit more emphasis placed on farming native animals sustainably. It’d be a lot better for the land, too.
I make Spaghetti bolognaise and Shepherds Pie (should I call it something else –
don’t think Skippy Pie would cut it)
Both are delicious, popular. and freeze well.
Kangaroo Mince Hamburgers (there we go again) need plenty of fried onion in the mixture, a slice of raw onion a slice of tomato and a fried egg on top of the hamburger.
I also make sausage rolls with Kangaroo meat – I spice these up with chillies and garlic.
Kangaroo meat has a strong flavour – but tasty.
@Christine: Sounds yum! We still haven’t gotten around to trying the kangaroo mince yet. As you can probably tell by my lack of updates here, we’ve been a bit busy lately and have been eating frozen leftovers and quick-and-easy meals. 🙂
Hi Darren. Isobel from Greenpeace here. Just want to let you know that Greenpeaece doesn’t actually advocate eating kangaroo meat. There were some incorrect reports in 2007 that said we do, but not true.
Love your blog!
@Isobel: Thanks for the correction. Out of interest, is there any meat that Greenpeace advocates? If so, what is it and how is it raised?
Hi Darren,
We don’t advocate any particular meat as it isn’t our area of expertise. Can only tell you that we encourage people to eat low on the food chain to reduce their environmental impact, and of course, organic food is always better than conventional.
We can offer loads of information and advice on avoiding genetically engineered food, but not a great deal on meat sadly.
@Isobel: Thanks for getting back to me. That sounds fair enough, you can’t be all things to all people! Eating lower on the food chain is good advice, and better for your health as well. We avoid GM as much as possible, too, although Australia’s rules on GM labelling are absolutely pathetic. Actually, so are our rules on growing GM crops.
Yeah we couldn’t agree more regarding labelling of genetically engineered foods. Greenpeace has a petition on those labelling laws at the moment that you can sign at:
http://www.truefood.org.au/OurRightToKnow/
You might also like the True Food Guide. It rates food brands on their GE policies and covers the areas that our labelling laws fail to. Very useful if you want to keep genetically engineered food out of your cupboards! We have hard copies and available or you can run a search on food brands on-line at:
http://www.truefood.org.au/truefoodguide
@Isobel: Thanks for the info and link on GM food. I’ll have to do a post on that issue sometime soon.
I don’t really understand the “Skippy” argument against eating roo meat, when the many of the same people who say “I couldn’t eat it ‘coz they’re so cute and how can we eat our national symbol” have no problem guzzling down on totally adorable, once frolicking little lambs. I like eating ‘roo meat because it’s healthy, easy to cook, and it’s guaranteed free range produce with no fudging possible on the definition of “free range”.
@Daniel: I’m totally with you. Roos are no cuter than lambs, pigs, cows, deer, chickens, and all the various other animals we eat. I think those people just haven’t thought about what they eat. They’re used to buying meat in sterile plastic trays from the supermarket, totally disconnected from where it comes from. Roo is just a ‘new’ meat choice that they haven’t yet been desensitised to.
Hi
I have enjoyed Roo meat/steaks for years, it is tender and tasty having lived in Belgium for years where it is readily available on supermarket shelves. I also travel over in the car to stock up every few months. I would also recommend horse & ostrich meat-steaks, very tasty and much more delicate than beef and alot lot cheaper.
[…] wrote about the sustainability of kangaroo meat a while ago, and this article backs up my […]
hi `We are looking for kangaroo skin with fur(no tannin), could you tell me who can supply kangaroo skin with fur??
please send email to me: jiajing88@yahoo.cn
thanks
@Jing: Sorry mate, I just eat what’s inside the skins! No idea where you could source them.
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