Kangaroo cull drought cash backflip after anger from Peterborough farmers

Mobs of kangaroos are stealing precious food and water from starving livestock, but many drought-ravaged farmers were barred from a support packaged aimed at reducing their numbers. Until now.

Farmers in drought-stricken regions in the state’s Mid North are angry they were excluded from accessing financial help aimed at reducing the number of pest kangaroos on their parched properties.

Only four of the state’s 17 commercial kangaroo harvest regions were initially eligible for the package, which provides professional shooters with financial incentives to destroy the animals causing chaos on farms by consuming precious food and water reserved for livestock.

Department of Primary Industry and Regions SA staff have been telling farmers the money, part of a state government drought relief package announced on April 8, was only available for shooters operating in the Eyre Peninsula, Yorke and Mid-North and Upper South East harvest regions. Drought-ravaged Mid North towns such as Peterborough, Booleroo Centre, Melrose and Orroroo are outside of these zones.

But after questions from The Advertiser on Tuesday, the State Government backflipped on this ruling.

Farmers say kangaroos are at plague proportions in the Mid North. This video is from a farm about 14km north of Peterborough. Video: supplied

Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said no drought-affected farmer would be excluded from the package. The Advertiser understands department staff have been ordered to contact affected farmers and shooters to let them know they were now eligible.

Peterborough farmers and cousins Kevin and Anthony Malycha said they raised the issue of pest kangaroos with premier Peter Malinauskas when he visited their town in April.

“We physically spoke to him about it and he said there would be help to come in regards to that,” Kevin Malycha said.

“And then when details of the package came out, it turns out we weren’t in drought enough.

“It’s typical government – they say they’re going to give you something and then they say ‘oh no, you can’t access it’.”

Mr Malycha, whose family has farmed in the district for about 100 years, said kangaroos were at unprecedented levels on many farms as they sought food and water because of the drought.

He welcomed the government’s backflip, but said it had taken too long to sort out, considering the drought relief package was announced in early April.

Peter Malinauskas with Kevin Malycha and Anthony Malycha at the Peterborough Party. Picture: Ben Clark

“Now it’s taken until nearly June before we even got the funding – it’s all too slow,” he said.

Anthony Malycha said he worked on the theory that 1000 kangaroos would go through the food and water needed for 600 sheep.

“When things get light on for feed and water... they’re just a huge impost on you,” he said.

Ms Scriven said the kangaroo harvesting industry had provided the government with a list of initial priority areas to target but this list “was never intended to be applied rigidly”.

“I’m sorry that the wrong information was provided,” she said. “As soon as this was brought to my attention, I addressed this issue with PIRSA.”

Opposition primary industries spokeswoman Nicola Centofanti said the saga was a “textbook example of government spin over substance”.

“This is meant to be drought support, not a statistical exercise in who can tick the most boxes on a spreadsheet,” she said.

“The pest pressure from kangaroos is real, it’s damaging and it’s one more burden on farmers trying to survive the worst drought in living memory.”

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins will be in South Australia today where she will announce an extra $800,000 for Rural Financial Counselling Service providers in SA and Victoria.

Originally published as Kangaroo cull drought cash backflip after anger from Peterborough farmers