Professional kangaroo harvester

An individual must satisfy the following requirements for the department to grant a Professional Kangaroo Harvester Licence:

• a valid driver’s licence
• a valid Firearms licence
• successful completion of the accreditation course (AMPG306 Use Firearms to Harvest Wild Game) for kangaroo harvesters provided by a Registered Training Organisation authorised to deliver that training. 'Registered Training Organisation' has the same meaning as in the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth)
• successful completion of the Statement of Attainment 900-81367V01 – Game Harvester Skill Set through Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) TAFE (a requirement of NSW Food Authority to meet food hygiene standards).

If granted a licence, harvesters must obtain written consent each calendar year from a landholder or authorised delegate. The completed landholder consent form must be submitted to NSW Kangaroo Management for assessment. No harvesting can occur on a property until this consent is received and approved.

Licence conditions, annual costs and relevant forms for professional kangaroo harvester licences are available on our Licence, fees and forms page.

Landholders can apply for a Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Landholder Licence if they want to harm kangaroos on their own property and sell the carcass.

This licence differs from the Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Professional Licence in that the licensee is restricted to using commercial tags on properties they own or occupy within the commercial kangaroo management zone. The licensee cannot harvest kangaroos on other properties within the zone or other commercial zones. The training requirements for a Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Landholder Licence are the same as for a Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Professional Licence.

As part of their application, landholders must submit the correct annual landholder consent form to confirm the details of the properties they own or occupy where they intend to undertake commercial harvesting activities. No harvesting can occur on the property until the consent is approved by the NSW Kangaroo Management program.

Licence conditions, annual costs and relevant forms for Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Landholder Licences are available on our Licence, fees and forms page.

Each kangaroo carcass must be tagged with a tag purchased from the commercial program so the carcasses can be sold to an Animal Dealer (Kangaroo) Licence holder. The tag shows the carcasses were harvested in accordance with the requirements of the NSW Commercial Kangaroo Harvest Management Plan and the conditions of a Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Licence.

After your commercial harvester licence application and landholder consents have been approved, you are eligible to purchase tags for use within a commercial kangaroo management zone.

Applying for commercial tags

Licenced commercial harvesters apply for tags for specific kangaroo species in specific kangaroo management zones. Tags can be used on any property within that zone for which you have landholder consent approved by NSW Kangaroo Management to harvest kangaroos for commercial purposes. Tags must be used within the Commercial Tag Advice start and expiry dates.

Tags are issued with a Commercial Tag Advice, which will state:

• the start and expiry dates for the tag range (which can be up to 4 calendar months from the date of purchase or 31 December if purchased towards the end of the calendar year)
• the commercial kangaroo management zone where the tags are to be used
• the Commercial Harvester (Kangaroo) Licence details
• the approved species and number to be harmed.

Within zones, the quota is usually allocated on a 'first in, first served' basis. The quantity of tags available to a harvester is dependent on the number of species, the available quota and the number of hectares available to the harvester within the commercial kangaroo management zone (as determined by the size of the properties within that zone for which the harvester has obtained landholder consent).

A delegated department officer assesses each application and may contact a landholder for clarification if there is concern about any of the information provided on a landholder consent form.

Commercial tags must be purchased from the Kangaroo Management Program Team of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. You can purchase tags by applying online or by completing and submitting an application form. Commercial tag costs are listed on our Licence conditions, fees and forms page.

You can find monthly tag allocations and commercial take reports, and more information on tag allocations and commercial takes in each year's annual report.

All licences are granted with conditions. Under the BC Act, it is an offence to contravene a condition of a licence.

Commercial kangaroo harvesting licences are granted on an annual basis and the conditions are subject to change. Current conditions can be viewed on the Licence conditions fee and forms page.