Wild boar exports suffer as accredited hunter numbers drop

ABC Rural
By Carmen Brown

Updated 14 April 2015 at 10:27 am

Drought and declining hunter numbers are impacting wild boar meat exports from Australia. (Supplied)
Australia's game meat industry is struggling to keep up with overseas demand for wild boar products, as drought and dwindling hunter numbers slow supply.

While recreational hunter numbers are thought to be increasing nationally, fewer shooters are choosing to become accredited to harvest wild pigs for human consumption.

The only company exporting feral pig meat from Queensland this year, Game Meat Processors, is currently slaughtering 1,000 head per week at its Brisbane factory, for markets in France and Germany.

CEO Rex Devantier said he could sell up to 20,000 head into Europe each month, but the shortage of accredited hunters was making it difficult to keep up with the demand.

We've seen a significant number of harvesters not renew their accreditation, and a lot of them are telling us it is simply down to cost.

Rex Devantier, Game Meat Processors
"We've seen a significant number of harvesters not renew their accreditation, and a lot of them are telling us it is simply down to cost," he said.

"If we go back to the peak, we would have had in excess of 2,500 harvesters and shooters on our books [now less than 1,100], in both of New South Wales and Queensland.

"For those guys, it costs around $516 for their [government] accreditation each year.

"We argue that's an unfair cost burden on the shooter. They're doing a lot of public good controlling a feral animal like wild boar, and they are obviously contributing to the export economy."

Game Meat Processors operates 65 field processing units, also known as chiller boxes, across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Mr Devantier said many of the supply areas had also been hit by drought, which had reduced feral pig populations.

"The dry conditions obviously will have an impact on the birth rates and survival of wild boar," he said.

"We've also seen in some areas fairly heavy culling, I think it's a combination of both, but the drought has had an impact, and in some areas quite severely."

Market presence crucial for industry sustainability
Wild boar meat for the European market is also sourced from Germany, Poland, Hungary and Spain, but extreme winter weather has impacted some of those supplies.

Australia's main competition now comes from Texas, which exports wild boar meat into similar markets.

Mr Devantier said if Australia's pig meat trade was to remain viable over the long-term, industry needed to maintain a presence overseas.

"Continuity of supply is very important to a market, and Australian wild boar has been a traditional product available in Europe. It's respected and trusted," he said.

"So you can't hop in and out of the market.

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Game Meat Processor's Rex Devantier says dwindling hunter numbers are affecting wild boar meat exports. ( ABC News )
"We've always maintained a presence, but certainly if we were to exit the market for any length of time, we would either have our position displaced by US and/or local product.

"In a number of years we've literally supplied when the returns have been modest, just to ensure we've kept the relationship with customers.

"Right now, what we are seeing is volumes from the domestic supply chain in Europe relatively flat or in decline as a result of some tough winter conditions.

"That has reduced the numbers, and impacted on the harvesting effort of the local hunters, so we're seeing firm demand, and certainly demand exceeds supply."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2015-04-14/wild-boar-market-hit-by-dropping-hunter-numbers/6383368