MPs call for urgent action as rising kangaroo population plagues farmers

According to Wildlife Victoria's 2024 kangaroo population survey, there are an estimated 2.4 million kangaroos in Victoria, with many farmers estimating even greater numbers.

Member for Western Victoria Bev McArthur is calling for more kangaroo control, saying there has been "a plague of kangaroos" this year, which are now competing with livestock for feed.

"The drought is making it far worse," she said.

"They're being driven ever closer to farms in search of food and water, competing for the last bit of feed and the last bit of water.

"If this government seriously wants to support farmers, they need to ignore the animal activists and up the cull numbers allowed by the Kangaroo Harvesting Program."

The program allows commercial kangaroo harvesters to cull kangaroos in Victoria under its regulations.

Western Victorian livestock farmer Nicholas Cole has moved his sheep and cows to his other farm in Timboon, where hundreds of kangaroos pass through.

"They are eating a hell of a lot of grass on our paddocks and now they're on the roads because there's no grass left," he said.

"They're hungry and need something to eat."

However, he said kangaroos were far from a common sight in the area.

"My grandfather used to say that seeing one kangaroo a year would still be a rarity," he said.

"And now the number of kangaroos is just growing, and it's not hard to see 20-30 every day."

Mr Cole, who runs 200 cows and 2500 sheep, said the drought and the number of kangaroos on his farm meant there was little to no grass left for his stock.

"My numbers are down by a third," he said.

"We're probably not running as many as we could because the kangaroo have eaten their grass.

"We've had to sell a lot of our dry stock."

Central Victorian kangaroo harvester and sheep farmer Adam Watkins, Lancefield, said his tag limit of 100 kangaroos a week was not enough to control the local population.

"I see 50-100 of them every night, and I'd shoot them regularly, but they just keep coming," he said.

"They cleared out most of the feed in the bush, so now they're coming onto the paddocks on farms.

"The kangaroos also look like they're in poor condition."

While some farmers have taken to measures like exclusion fencing to keep kangaroos out of their paddocks, Mr Watkins said fencing around his 40-hectare farm would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"The cost is just too much," he said.

"I've seen a lot of it done but after a while, the kangaroos try to dig under it."

Both Mr Watkins and Mr Cole said a dead kangaroo on the side of the road was now a common sight.

"Now they're coming onto the roads because there's no grass left in the bush and paddocks," Mr Cole said.

In June, Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland raised concerns in Parliament about kangaroos impacting the safety of drivers on rural roads, saying the rising kangaroo numbers had contributed to a spike in vehicle crashes, train disruptions and damage to farmland.

Ms Cleeland said there needed to be urgent action to manage increasing kangaroo populations across northern Victoria.

"Kangaroo numbers have exploded across our region, and communities are bearing the brunt of it," she said.

"People driving on rural roads are genuinely frightened.

"In the early morning or around dusk, it feels like a kangaroo could jump in front of you at any moment.

"Motorists are at serious risk, and kangaroo collisions are now one of the most common wildlife-related hazards on our roads.

"Despite this, the tools available to manage local kangaroo populations are outdated and difficult to navigate."

Ms Cleeland said the funding dedicated to kangaroo harvesting was limited, with $200,000 allocated for the program in the state budget for the next year.

"That amount of funding shows how little the government is prioritising this issue," she said.

"We need real investment in population control and sustainable harvesting.

"Kangaroo meat and leather are valuable products with global demand.

"Expanding the market not only helps manage numbers, it also creates economic opportunities for rural communities."