Dear
Minister
I respond to your letter replying to our concerns about a proposed
kangaroo farm near Chittering WA. Thank you for your reply, and
the information that no such proposal has so far been progressed.
However
we would like to address comments made in your letter about the
two current wildlife farming operations, crocodile and emu.
Both
are subsidised by the taxpayer. Both have serious animal welfare
problems, from crocodiles being kept in stinking putrid, overcrowded
ponds, to emus being converted from a wild and free animal, to
a chook in a chook pen.
You
may not be aware that emu-farming was started in WA by a French
company, without any public comment process, or adequate environmental
or economic studies. Eggs from the WA sub-species were consequently
sent to France, USA, South Africa, and any other country silly
enough to let them in. At the last count I heard, there are 30,000
emus in France, and similar numbers in farms in other countries.
In
the USA many were released from the pens when farmers realised
they were of no value, and emus are now feral in several US states.
Some farmers became so frustrated they killed them with baseball
bats, and were prosecuted for animal cruelty.
Farms
were also established in the other Australian States, also without
any adequate public comment process. Worse, the eggs that were
sent from WA to SA, Victoria, NSW and Queensland, were also of
the WA subspecies. Similar releases into the wild, from East Coast
farms which collapsed, have now inter-bred with the eastern subspecies.
The two subspecies are now well mixed. So much for "adequate
environmental assessment."
As
well, many people who failed to do their homework, were conned
into entering this new "Industry", which was grandly
promoted by agricultural "experts" and politicians.
Most lost their farms and homes. The Industry had little chance
of ever being successful.
All
Australian croc farms survive by their dependence on the taxpayer,
and the tourist Industry. The NT government has admitted that
the taxpayer contributes one third of the profits of their croc
farms. In spite of Industry propaganda, markets for crocodile
products are very limited. Unbelievably, we also import some crocodile
products from New Guinea. Visitors to a commercial croc farm are
kept well away from the stinking ponds, where these unfortunate
animals are incarcerated in until they are killed.
So
I'm sorry, but we have little confidence in any State governments'
ability to adequately research and assess wildlife farming proposals.
Any attempt by any State government to approve the farming of
kangaroos would be immediately challenged in the Courts, and in
the AAT if the proposal received Federal government approval,
which is unlikely.
Yours
sincerely,
Pat
O'Brien, President,
Wildlife Protection Association of Australia Inc.
