A tempting plate of venison backstrap with blackberry red wine jus is an example of the available food, often wasted in the fields around Marulan and Goulburn. Photo: Australian Bush Harvest.
An innovative agribusiness plans to launch a mobile game processing facility north of Marulan to harvest deer, pigs and other feral animals for people to eat and for pet food.
In planning documents lodged with Goulburn Mulwaree Council, Australian Bush Harvest Pty Ltd is proposing harvesting traceable game and paying royalties to farmers for feral animals off their land.
If approved the enterprise will create 22 full-time jobs, comprising 12 staff on-site and shooters in the field.
Eight refrigerated trailers for processing, three container trailers for an office, kitchen, first aid room and store and two portable toilet/bathrooms will be parked on the Brayton Road site for six months before moving to another location. They will be supported by a diesel generator, two 5000-litre water tanks and grey water storage pods.
Kangaroos, deer, pigs, goats and rabbits will be taken from a harvest radius up to 200 kilometres from the facility for operational efficiency, food health and safety and compliance.
The proponent says this will enable them to respond to landholder demand across a broad regional area. Landholders will be paid a price per kilo for what is harvested on their land.
On its website Australian Bush Harvest says it transforms necessary feral animal management into traceable game meat, reducing waste while delivering environmental and economic benefits.
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The company is advertising for commercial harvesters, butchers and boners, skinners and packers, processing labourers and truck drivers.
The website’s culinary section has recipes for Australian goat curry, herb crusted rabbit and venison backstrap with blackberry red wine jus.
Water will be trucked in to the temporary site from a licensed water supplier from Goulburn and wastewater, by-products and other waste will be securely contained and removed offsite, according to the development application.
By-products such as skins and offal will be sold and taken away by a licensed fertiliser processing company. They will be picked up by licensed cartage vehicles and removed from site twice weekly. (Dry carcasses will be delivered to the facility after being killed in the field, significantly reducing waste by-products on-site, according to the proponents).
Separate to this proposal, MOA Contract Shooters, a team of six people, has been operating for the past decade and shoots in the Goulburn and Marulan districts.
Feral fallow deer are in abundance in southern NSW. Photo: Australian Bush Harvest.
Principal Shaun Bankowski says they help landholders manage feral pests and have numerous private contracts in rural NSW and with local land services and local councils.
Shaun says a mobile game processing facility like the one Australian Bush Harvest proposes is a positive step forward for contractors like him and for feral animal management overall.
“I’ve seen similar ideas discussed for years, and having one local to the region would make a real difference in encouraging professional control efforts,” he said.
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He says fallow deer are well established in the area, some red deer and other species.
“Feral pigs are common and cause a lot of damage to paddocks and fences. Goats are present on many properties, though numbers fluctuate,” Shaun said.
“You’ll also find plenty of foxes, rabbits, wild dogs, and feral cats, which are major threats to livestock and native wildlife.”
He has an agreement to supply carcasses to a licensed game meat processor in Nowra.
“A lot of potentially usable meat currently goes to waste or is left in the field, which is a shame given the quality of free-range feral game,” he said.
MOA does not charge landowners for its services and helps them comply with their legal obligations to control pests on their land.
Contract shooter Shaun Bankowski says his team uses state-of-the-art thermal and night vision optics and members are licensed and insured for feral animal hunting. Photo: MOA Contract Shooting.
“Its really a win, win, win all round; the farmers get a premium service free of charge, we make our money from the carcasses and the animals don’t go to waste in the field,” he said.
He relies on referrals for his work. “Word of mouth is worth its weight in gold in this industry,” he said. “Ninety per cent of our new work comes from clients who’ve used our services and then recommended us to their friends, family or colleagues.”
To contact MOA Contract Shooters call 0448 931 163 or email MOA@use.startmail.com.
