The Australian Society for Kangaroos claim the government has “consistently mislead the public” by saying no more kangaroos would be killed under the trial.

Society president Nikki Sutterby said the state government was not being transparent about the number of kangaroos killed.

“Victorian government data has revealed that prior to 2014, an average of 51,000 kangaroos were authorised to be killed by landholders in Victoria each year,” she said.

“However in 2017, four years after the kangaroo meat and skins industry entered Victoria, 189,100 western grey, eastern grey and red kangaroos were authorised to be killed.”

“This amounts to a 300 per cent increase in the number of kangaroos being killed in Victoria each year at the hands of the Andrew’s government and the kangaroo meat and skins industry.”

“This is a massive increase in the slaughter and suffering of our iconic kangaroos and native animals in Victoria.”

The approved federal government outlines for the trial states that the “total number of exports of animals harvested under the Kangaroo Pet Food Trial Developmental Wildlife Trade Operation Plan will not exceed 100,000 kangaroos per calendar year”.

A 2017 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning survey estimated that Victoria’s kangaroo population was about 1.44 million. 

Of those counted in the survey, about 1.3 million were eastern grey kangaroos, 70,000 were western grey kangaroos and only 13,000 were red kangaroos.

Central Victoria had the highest density of kangaroos with 48.5 kangaroos per square kilometre. 

The state government announced in early April that the trial would continue for at least one more year.

The announcement came one day before the program was due to end on March 31.

The program allows permit holders in 16 local government areas – including the Horsham Rural City, Yarriambiack, Northern Grampians, Southern Grampians and West Wimmera municipalities – to cull or remove kangaroos off private land for commercial processing. 

With an estimated 1.4 million kangaroos in Victoria, At the time of the announcement Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio said the one year extension would allow the government to re-assess whether the trial was sustainable for Victoria’s kangaroo population.

“The extension will give us time to learn more about what’s working and what isn’t,” she said. 

In February, The Nationals promised to make the trial permanent and expand it to all rural and regional local government areas if elected at this year’s state election.

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said a permanent trial would stop waste and help boost the local food processing industry by securing jobs.

“Kangaroos cause a lot of damage to properties, our native flora and fauna, and vehicles,” Ms Kealy said.

“The program finds another purpose for these usable resources that would have otherwise been left to rot.

“It also helps provide job opportunities for farmers with workplace injuries, they have been able to re-enter the workforce.”