Wild Game Resources Australia pitches plan on export of Tasmanian wallabies

Wild Game Resources Australia says it intended on using commercial harvesters that were licensed to provide game for human consumption.

Using unpublished documentation by Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment, the company said the state's wallaby cull stood at between 550,000 to 600,000 a year.

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"Currently wallaby are being commercially harvested at a rate of 50,000 to 100,000 wallaby a year," it said.

"Non-commercial culling is also occurring at a rate of 500,000 wallaby a year.

"This level of harvest has occurred over an extended period of time and appears to have no effect on populations, with populations actually increasing in the majority of regions."

The company has proposed development of a network of hunters and purchasing sites that utilise carcasses from non-commercial culling that occurs on private land, rather than increasing the number of wallabies culled.

The carcasses will be exported from Tasmania and processed in New South Wales.

The company has claimed it has procedures in place to cease harvesting if the wallaby density index drops below the trigger point of if levels of wallaby processed reach 150,000 animals in a calendar year.

"With the commercial cull replacing a portion of the non-commercial cull that is occurring there should be little to no impact on animal density throughout Tasmania with this [wildlife trade operation] in place," the company said.

It said the harvest was expected to happen throughout the year.

"The open season will continue to be monitored and the harvest season adjusted accordingly," the company said.

The company has sought three years approval from the Environment Department for the proposal under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Wild Game Resources Australia procures kangaroo, venison and wild boar meats for export markets.