Emma Kealy – Duck call a long overdue win for commonsense
Monday 29 January 2024
Common sense has prevailed in a win for thousands of duck harvesters throughout Victoria.
A biased and stacked Inquiry which recommended the end of duck harvesting was a sham and the Liberals and Nationals strongly support the practice continuing.
Labor, the Greens and the Animal Justice Party members involved in the Inquiry into Victoria’s Recreational Native Bird Hunting Arrangements based their judgements on ideology alone, ignoring science.
Trained and licenced harvesters have a positive effect on conserving and restoring wetland habitats and an extensive Liberals and Nationals minority report recommended the continuation of bird harvesting in Victoria in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Emma Kealy, said the biased recommendations of the Inquiry simply had to be rejected.
“As we have said all along, duck harvesting is sustainable, safe and has huge economic benefits,” Ms Kealy said.
“It is not only a source of food, but is also an activity passed through generations which helps with land conservation.
”The government has recognised recreational shooting as a legitimate pursuit.”
Duck harvesting contributes approximately $65 million annually to the economy, which benefits local communities across regional Victoria, including Mansfield, East Gippsland, Latrobe, Horsham and Gannawarra.
In 2022, there were almost 28,000 licences to harvest game birds (ducks and quails) in Victoria.