PROFESSIONAL kangaroo shooter Glenn Cole believes a new State Government rebate for farmers wanting to mitigate kangaroos damaging their land could provide crucial relief as numbers rise across central Victoria.
The Newbridge resident has spent decades as a commercial kangaroo shooter and wants to help Loddon farmers manage kangaroo numbers.
“There’s no doubt the numbers of roos around our area is on the rise, in fact it’s exploding,” he said.
Mr Cole said farmers, already in challenging times after a dry start to the year and uncertainty for rain, could benefit from the rebate.
The Victorian Government is providing $1.8 million to help drought-affected farmers control eastern and western grey kangaroos under an approved authority to control wildlife (ATCW).
Farmers whose livestock are competing with kangaroos for fodder can apply for rebates to engage professional harvesters to manage kangaroos under an ATCW.
Farmers can claim a rebate of $450 three times and are required to contribute a minimum 25 per cent of the cost of the authorised shoot.
Agriculture Victoria says: “The initiative will also fast-track the assessment of ATCWs for kangaroos through the Conservation Regulator – reducing average processing time for applications to less than one week. Applying for an ATCW for kangaroo control is free.
“There are about 130 professional harvesters accredited under the commercial Kangaroo Harvesting Program across Victoria.
“The rebate will support a managed reduction in kangaroo numbers while Victoria faces challenging drought conditions.”
The kangaroo rebate was one of the first announcements from the State Government’s drought response taskforce.
Mr Cole, one of the state’s accredited shooters, has long been an advocate for greater control of kangaroos and allowing harvesting across the state.
“Kangaroos damage farmland, they eat the ground cover and can damage crops. This new rebate is possibly a way to see better management of numbers in country areas,” he said.