* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    CNN Launches New Show – What to Know About Host Elex Michaelson – Central Oregon Daily

    Get to Know Elex Michaelson: The Dynamic New Host Taking CNN by Storm

    Johnny Depp Set To Finally Make His Big Hollywood Comeback After Amber Heard Controversy – Yahoo

    Johnny Depp Set for a Triumphant Hollywood Comeback Following Amber Heard Controversy

    ‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc’ Review: Hit Manga Gets an Ultra-Violent, Surprisingly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation – Yahoo

    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Review: A Brutal and Unexpectedly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation

    Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

    Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

    Sacramento city leaders approve adding 2 entertainment zones in midtown – CBS News

    Sacramento City Leaders Approve Two Thrilling New Entertainment Zones in Midtown

    AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

    AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    New technology for grading and packing dates – FreshPlaza

    Revolutionary Technology Transforms Date Grading and Packing Process

    Project underway to upgrade technology on 911 towers in Kanawha County – WCHS

    Kanawha County Launches Major Upgrade to 911 Tower Technology

    Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

    Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

    Rydberg Technologies Inc. Announces Launch of Rydberg Photonics in Berlin – The Quantum Insider

    Rydberg Technologies Launches Exciting New Photonics Division in Berlin

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    CNN Launches New Show – What to Know About Host Elex Michaelson – Central Oregon Daily

    Get to Know Elex Michaelson: The Dynamic New Host Taking CNN by Storm

    Johnny Depp Set To Finally Make His Big Hollywood Comeback After Amber Heard Controversy – Yahoo

    Johnny Depp Set for a Triumphant Hollywood Comeback Following Amber Heard Controversy

    ‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc’ Review: Hit Manga Gets an Ultra-Violent, Surprisingly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation – Yahoo

    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Review: A Brutal and Unexpectedly Emotional Big-Screen Adaptation

    Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

    Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

    Sacramento city leaders approve adding 2 entertainment zones in midtown – CBS News

    Sacramento City Leaders Approve Two Thrilling New Entertainment Zones in Midtown

    AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

    AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    New technology for grading and packing dates – FreshPlaza

    Revolutionary Technology Transforms Date Grading and Packing Process

    Project underway to upgrade technology on 911 towers in Kanawha County – WCHS

    Kanawha County Launches Major Upgrade to 911 Tower Technology

    Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

    Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

    Rydberg Technologies Inc. Announces Launch of Rydberg Photonics in Berlin – The Quantum Insider

    Rydberg Technologies Launches Exciting New Photonics Division in Berlin

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Have you heard of ‘wallatarians’? The only red meat they eat is wallaby

June 19, 2023
in News
Have you heard of ‘wallatarians’? The only red meat they eat is wallaby
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

John Kelly says whether he has any regrets about starting a business based on selling wallaby meat in Tasmania 30 years ago “depends on the day”. 

Co-founder of Lenah Game Meats, a Launceston-based company selling wallaby meat and venison, Mr Kelly says some days he wishes he had stuck with his agricultural career.

But on others, he is happy his chosen path has taken him to places and let him do things he never could have otherwise.

Mr Kelly says the “road” his business has travelled down has smoothed out over time, partly due to increased public acceptance of wallaby meat.

Wallaby has been eaten in Tasmania for 60,000 years, Mr Kelly says.(Supplied: Lenah Game Meats of Tasmania)

“We spent the first 10 years going to every food fair we could in the state and giving out taste samples, and … hearing people tell us, ‘Ah yuck, you can’t eat that,'” he says.

But persistence has paid off, Mr Kelly explains, pointing to the experience he and partner Katrina had at last year’s agricultural show, AgFest.

“We spent three days virtually in tears, listening to people telling us how much they love our product and what we do, and urging us to keep doing it,” Mr Kelly says. 

Where meat and ethics meet

Mr Kelly moved into the wallaby meat industry after growing up with beef farming.(Supplied: Nadeen Davis Photography)

It was in 1993 that Mr Kelly quit his job as an agricultural advisor with a state department to begin his wallaby-meat-based business.

“I decided I was a bit sick of telling other people how to do things, and I wanted to do something for myself,” he says.

The idea for his business came from working with farmer and war veteran Dick Lawrence.

“He was interested in seeing something done with the wallabies and possums he was shooting on his property [as part of a cull], rather than see them go to waste,” Mr Kelly says.

“I decided that fitted in with the ethics of how I wanted to do things, so [along with business plan co-author Sally Bruen] I … set up Lenah.”

Two years later, Mr Kelly’s partner Katrina joined the company, driven to see it succeed by “slightly different” motivations to Mr Kelly.

“We often joke to each other that John’s a bit of a frustrated agriculturalist, and I’m a bit of a frustrated greenie,” Ms Kelly says.

“John’s more from a … meat science and agricultural background, whereas my passions are ethics and the environment.”

Mr Kelly says his enthusiasm for wallaby meat stems from its “beautiful meat science credentials”; specifically, its sweetness, tenderness and long shelf life.

“[And] in terms of food production, from an animal welfare and from an environmental angle, you really can’t get much better than wild harvested animals,” Ms Kelly said.

Where does the meat come from?

The Bennetts wallaby is native to parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.(Supplied: John Harrison)

The business sources its meat from Bennetts wallabies, which are native to Tasmania.

Increased pasture production by farms has caused wallaby numbers to explode, Mr Kelly says, with Tasmania now home to about 3 million Bennetts wallabies. 

“They compete with sheep and cattle for pastures, and they can graze fairly heavily on expensive crops,” he says.

Due to the damage to farms they cause, about half a million Bennetts wallabies are culled under state government-issued crop protection permits each year, Mr Kelly explains.

“There is a large-scale cull of wallabies in Tasmania every year [and] there has been for 50 years.”

Mr Kelly says the state government has a highly developed system to monitor the health of the Bennetts wallaby population.

And according to its data, the Bennetts wallaby population in Tasmania has been increasing consistently for the past 50 years, in spite of the annual cull.

“What we do [as a business] is turn part of that cull into a commercial harvest, to see [the wallabies] utilised, and to see them generate jobs,” Mr Kelly says.

Selling ‘pet food’ to people

Mr Kelly says one of the biggest hurdles faced by the business, particularly at the start, was changing public attitudes towards wallaby meat.

“The product we were selling, as far as Tasmanians were concerned, was called ‘roo’ and it was [only] good for pet food and maybe patties,” he says.

Local people had been exposed to “a century of anglicised looking-down-the-nose at anything native,” Mr Kelly says, which kept wallaby well and truly off the menu.

“People just weren’t interested in eating it,” co-founder Sally Bruen says.

So, after “extensive market research” indicated a different product name was in order, Mr Kelly says they decided to run with “wallaby” rather than “roo”.

“And we started producing it in portioned, aged, trimmed cuts, to make it as easy for chefs to use as possible,” he says.

The Kellys have been regular attendees at Tasmanian markets and festivals.(Supplied: Lenah Game Meats of Tasmania)

Many years of sticking with that approach, and turning up at food fairs finally paid off, Ms Bruen says.

“Wallaby meat is now an accepted part of the Tasmanian fine food basket, with many people liking it for what it is, a damn good meat,” Mr Kelly says.

Others though, buy it because they support the production of food from “animals that belong” in this country, as opposed to “hard-hoofed exotic animals” like beef and sheep, he explained.

“People now understand the value of eating wild meat,” Ms Bruen says.

Mr Kelly says the type of people consuming wallaby meat has changed “considerably” over time, along with the places they purchase it.

When they first started the business, he says, their target consumers were “older … adventurous diners”, and they were selling their meat only into restaurants.

“Now if we do a food fair, we get 16-year-old girls making a beeline out of the crowd,” Mr Kelly says, and their meat is sold in more than 300 supermarkets, health food stores and restaurants across the country.

“We [also now] have people who describe themselves as ‘wallatarians’.

“People who make the choice that the only red meat they eat will be wallaby, based on all the ethics behind it.”

A spokesperson for the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia says kangaroo meat, including wallaby meat, is one of the “healthiest and most sustainable red meats in the world”.

“Commercial harvesting of kangaroos is widely considered by the scientific community, government, animal welfare experts, Indigenous groups, and the agricultural industry as a responsible way to manage kangaroo numbers while boosting the economy,” they say.

Finding uses for wallaby fur

Mr Kelly says while he and Ms Kelly now consider themselves “really good” at selling wallaby meat, wallaby skins is something they are still working on.

“Selling the skins has been the toughest part of the job, all the way through,” he says.

At one stage, Mr Kelly says, his business was selling wallaby skins to a company in Turkey, which was turning them into fur coats for Russians, a supply chain that did not last long.

“So we’ve tried all sorts of things and never really been able to find a market that would take all of our skin products,” he says.

“And we have been sending those products to landfill [which] really breaks our heart.”

The company’s latest attempt to sell skins is ugg boots made from wallaby skin called Wuggs, a product that has been in the making for 10 years.

Mr Kelly says after an eight-year hiatus, he and Ms Kelly returned their focus to Wuggs.

A pair of ugg boots made from wallaby skin.(Supplied: Lenah Game Meats of Tasmania)

“During COVID, when internet shopping really did start taking off, we came back to it,” he says.

“We’ve really only just started trying to promote them quite aggressively this year.”

Mr Kelly hopes it signals a change in direction for their company.

“If we were able to sell all of our wallaby skins as Wuggs, it … would turn us into a fashion company rather than a meat company,” Mr Kelly says.

“It’s going to take a little while to get there but … I’d love us to do that.”

Posted 15h ago15 hours agoSun 18 Jun 2023 at 8:20pm, updated 7h ago7 hours agoMon 19 Jun 2023 at 4:34am

Read More

Tags: 'wallatarians'newswallaby
Previous Post

Nandi: Single Mum Who Vied for MCA Seat in Wheelchair Appeals for Help from Oscar Sudi, Mike Sonko

Next Post

It’s not rocket science, but working as a ringer is no Yellowstone. Here’s what you need to know

How to watch the 2025 MLB World Series: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game schedule, channels, streaming, when is Shohei Ohtani starting and more – Yahoo Sports

Ultimate Guide to Watching the 2025 MLB World Series: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game Schedule, Channels, Streaming, and Shohei Ohtani’s Start Time

October 24, 2025
A circular economy approach for the global lithium-ion battery supply chain – Nature

Revolutionizing the Global Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Through a Circular Economy Approach

October 24, 2025
CNN Launches New Show – What to Know About Host Elex Michaelson – Central Oregon Daily

Get to Know Elex Michaelson: The Dynamic New Host Taking CNN by Storm

October 24, 2025
Idaho Medicaid mental health contractor to cut doctor pay rates by 4%-15% – Idaho Capital Sun

Idaho Medicaid Mental Health Contractor to Cut Doctor Pay Rates by Up to 15%

October 24, 2025
Syracuse University declines signing Trump’s higher education compact – Spectrum Noticias

Syracuse University declines signing Trump’s higher education compact – Spectrum Noticias

October 24, 2025
Inventing habitats – High Country News

Building Tomorrow’s Habitats: Breakthrough Innovations Transforming Our Future Environments

October 24, 2025

Enhancing Nucleic Acid Biosecurity to Counter Advanced Generative Protein Design Tools

October 24, 2025
Science Says Optimistic People Live Up to 12 Years Longer. Here’s How You Can Be More Positive, Hopeful, and Confident – Inc.com

Unlock a Longer Life: Discover How Cultivating Optimism Transforms Your Health and Happiness

October 24, 2025
Fall River Eats: Eskimo King closes for season; Table for Two special at Fall River Grill – Yahoo

Eskimo King Closes for the Season – Enjoy the Irresistible Table for Two Special at Fall River Grill!

October 24, 2025
New technology for grading and packing dates – FreshPlaza

Revolutionary Technology Transforms Date Grading and Packing Process

October 24, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (884)
  • Economy (906)
  • Entertainment (21,777)
  • General (17,784)
  • Health (9,947)
  • Lifestyle (918)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (906)
  • Politics (916)
  • Science (16,116)
  • Sports (21,405)
  • Technology (15,885)
  • World (889)

Recent News

How to watch the 2025 MLB World Series: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game schedule, channels, streaming, when is Shohei Ohtani starting and more – Yahoo Sports

Ultimate Guide to Watching the 2025 MLB World Series: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game Schedule, Channels, Streaming, and Shohei Ohtani’s Start Time

October 24, 2025
A circular economy approach for the global lithium-ion battery supply chain – Nature

Revolutionizing the Global Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Through a Circular Economy Approach

October 24, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version