What’s happening in the Game Harvesting
Industry
Glen Eckhardt
Southern Qld Institute of TAFE
TAFE
Queensland
Game Meat Industry 2008
• Record numbers of Accredited harvesters in Aust
• Qld, NSW & SA
- approx 3,700
• WA
- Pet food only
• Record prices
• Roos between $1.00- $1.20/kg FDW
• Wild pigs approx $1.65/kg FDW
• Roo quotas in QLD and NSW were met
TAFE
Queensland
Game Meat Industry 2009
Russians ban kangaroo meat imports
July 27, 2009 3:01PM
RUSSIA'S BAN ON KANGAROO MEAT
'THREATENS AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITIES'
RELATED NEWS 14:40 31/07/2009
Roo hunters hit hard by Moscow meat ban
CHARLOTTE DURUT October 29, 2009
TAFE
Queensland
Russia

Russia was 70% of the market

Mostly used for further processing

Russia required an inexpensive lean safe meat
TAFE
Queensland
Critical Findings
• Unacceptable hygienic dressing (faeces/ ingesta) &
evisceration (Coliforms)
• Inadequate detail of time and place of harvest on
harvesters tag
• No harvester’s declaration on harvesters tag
• No automatic temperature recording devices to
verify time/temperature controls
• No maximum period between harvest to process
period
• No microbiological verification of product
TAFE
Queensland
Government and industry’s response
Improved carcass tagging
Temperature monitoring of field chilling
Verification of cold chain management
Assessment of carcass suitability for processing
Increased micro testing of carcasses and meat
Mandated 14 day max period, 14 days to processing
TAFE
Queensland
Funding
Free refresher training for all accredited harvesters
and field depot operators
Development of training video and manual
Training by SQIT, OTEN & TAFESA (74 courses 4hrs)
Development by MINTRAC of competency based
units (learning materials) for game harvesting
TAFE
Queensland
Australian Meat Industry Training Package
MTM11
 Game Harvester Skill Set
MTMG300A Overview wild game meat industry
MTMG301A Operate a game harvesting vehicle
MTMG302A Eviscerate, inspect & tag wild game carcase in the
field
MTMG306A Use firearms to harvest wild game
MTMCOR202A Apply hygiene and sanitation practices
MTMPSR203A Sharpen knives
Game Industry Depot Management Skill Set
Game Pre-dressing Inspection Skill Set
TAFE
Queensland
Australian Meat Industry Training Package
MTM11
 Game Harvester Skill Set
MTMG300A Overview wild game meat industry
MTMG301A Operate a game harvesting vehicle
MTMG302A Eviscerate, inspect & tag wild game carcase in the
field
MTMG306A Use firearms to harvest wild game
MTMCOR202A Apply hygiene and sanitation practices
MTMPSR203A Sharpen knives
Game Industry Depot Management Skill Set
Game Pre-dressing Inspection Skill Set
TAFE
Queensland
Accreditation requirements
Australian standard for the hygienic production of
wild game meat for human consumption AS4464:2007
States;
Field Harvester
Means a person who:
(a) Is given approval by the controlling authority to harvest, conduct
harvest inspection, bleeding & field dressing of wild game animal
carcasses for human consumption; and
(b) Is considered by the authority to be competent to conduct those
activities
TAFE
Queensland
Response from the Controlling Authorities
• No changes to Accreditation process for harvesters
applying for initial or renewal (Qld, NSW or SA)
Response from RTO’s
• Regency TAFESA, have adopted the new units as
their training program for harvesters.
• SQIT (on-line) & OTEN (correspondence) have altered their
training to closer reflect the MTM11 units
• At present neither SQIT or NSW conduct field
assessment
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Queensland
Game Meat Industry 2013
Is the future looking brighter?
Depends on who you talk to.
• Russia have allowed 62 containers in (Macro Meats)
• Macro are now only taking male carcasses
• Still talk of China (concerns with AW issues)
• Ante-mortem of animals still a sticking point
• Political and $$$
• Game Meat industry still seems a very divided
industry
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Queensland
Industry Initiatives
Minimal take up of introducing skills sets in processing
plants
Marco Meats
• Only taking male animals
• Takes AW concerns associated with joeys away
• May help with Chinese concerns
• Female roos generally have a much higher micro
level
• Reviewing alternative methods of dressing
(bunging)
TAFE
Queensland
Thankyou
Question?
TAFE
Queensland