California doesn’t consider Australia’s lobbying, reimposes ban on kangaroo product import

In spite of the Australian government’s constant efforts of eradicating the restrictions permanently, California has decided to reimpose a ban on the sale of kangaroo products from Jan. 1.

According to the ABC’s AM, California has assigned a state government authority the task to find out whether the Australian government has broken local laws while advocating for the permanent removal of the ban. The Australian government has claimed around 600 retailers sell kangaroo products, including meat, leather products and pet food, in California.

Selling or importing kangaroo products was made illegal in 1971 by former US President and then-governor of California Ronald Regan, but legislation was passed in 2007 to lift the ban on the basis of the insistence and efforts put in by sportswear companies. These companies sell football shoes made with kangaroo leather obtained from the animal’s hides.

The law lifting the ban will expire on Jan. 1, 2016, as to which the ban on sale and import of kangaroo products will be reimposed in California. The Australian government and kangaroo industry shareholders have been lobbying to legalise import and sale of kangaroo products globally, but the Californian government did not consider their efforts.

Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon has raised doubts about Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to lobby the Californian legal system to overturn the political ban on animal products. The individuals and groups that support kangaroo harvesting claim the process has a scientific basis and does not pose any threat to the environment.

Animal rights groups in California believe the ban should have continued since it was first imposed. “These iconic species in Australia really should not be killed in such staggering numbers for something as frivolous as shoes and pet food,” the ABC quoted US Humane Society lobbyist Jennifer Fearing as saying.