Federal Government feral camel cull
ABC North West Qld (Mt Isa), Rural Report, 24/07/2009 06:20am
An Amy Phillips report on the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre in Alice Springs coming under attack after receiving $19m from the Federal Government to cull feral camels. The camel population in the region has grown to over one million, which the group say is destroying the environment. North Qld Entrepreneur Harvey Douglas was hoping to start a commercial camel meat business using mobile abattoirs. He says it’s a waste that thousands of camels are shot and left to rot on Central Australia when their valuable meat could be sold. Douglas says he can create export dollars and jobs from camel meat. Douglas says he believes there are a billion dollars worth of camels in the region. Douglas says 10 per cent of camels must be killed a year to reduce the numbers ecologically, which equates to about 20,000 tonnes of meat a year. Douglas says the Government finds it difficult to change their methods of helicopter culls. Peter Lain from Lain Consulting says the camel can be utilised in many different ways. Lain says Aboriginal people could make a living out of camel processing. Lain says the Middle East value camel meat and camel milk. A Project Leader at the Desert Knowledge CRC did says the organisation is looking at all options, including exploring the economic value of camels, although none of the funding generated will be able to be used to set up a commercial industry. Douglas says shooting camels and leaving them to rot is illegal, and he is currently seeking legal advice. Biosecurity Queensland says the Stock Act does not legislate for the disposal of carcasses, and only if there is a known disease does that situation change.
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