IN Ross Garnaut's vision of a more carbon-conscious world, households would move away from eating lamb and beef and consume more kangaroo, pork and chicken.
The Australian reports that Professor Garnaut says that Australian marsupials such as kangaroos, unlike cattle and sheep, emit negligible amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
"This could be a source of international comparative advantage for Australia in livestock production," he said. "For most of Australia's human history -- around 60,000 years -- kangaroo was the main source of meat. It could again become important."
But while consumption of kangaroo meat has increased threefold in the past few years -- largely because it is now available through supermarkets -- The Australian says butchers and restaurateurs predict that demand will level out or drop.
Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia executive officer John Kelly said that despite the increase, kangaroo meat still represented less than 0.5 per cent of red meat consumption in Australia.
"The fact that you can now get it at 3000 supermarkets around the country has made a huge difference," he said. He said that five years ago 70 per cent of kangaroo meat was used for pet food and the remainder was for human consumption. Now, Mr Kelly said the numbers had reversed, with 70 per cent of kangaroo meat eaten by humans.
The kangaroo aspect of the Garnaut report has elicited a mixed response from those who cook and sell the meat, The Australian reports.
Heinz Meats, in Brisbane's Woolloongabba, specialises in European smallgoods but has a wide selection of game, including frozen cuts of kangaroo.
Heinz Meats butcher David Thorneywork said there were two types of people who bought kangaroo. "The first type is people who really like the meat and they buy it on a weekly basis," he said. "The second type, it's a gimmick thing. They'll be having a barbecue with visitors from overseas and they'll buy it as a novelty."
But Mr Thorneywork doubted Professor Garnaut's recommendation would boost sales dramatically. "It's probably correct from an environmental perspective, but if you were going to have people around for a Sunday lunch, they're going to go for a rack or leg of lamb," he said.
