The Australian Wildlife Protection Council is behind the campaign and according to

the animal welfare group it is enlisting the support of celebrities such as Dame Judy Dench.

California briefly banned the importation of Kangaroo derived products in 2007, however the ban was overturned in the following year.

“The groups behind these campaigns are very selective with their facts and conveniently ignore the problems being caused to Australia’s fragile ecosystem by the abundance of kangaroos in this country,” Mr Coulton said.

“It is very misguided, and with the nation’s kangaroo export industry worth hundreds of

millions of dollars a year,

it is also potentially very damaging.”

Mr Coulton said a ban could potentially see a further explosion in kangaroo numbers and increase the risk of erosion of the nation’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

According to the RSPCA

“questions remain about the humaneness of kangaroo shooting and the basis for current government policies on the management and killing of kangaroos.”

The NSW kangaroo population in 2008 was estimated to be just over seven million.

Each year the NSW Government sets a quota for the amount of kangaroos, which can be “harvested” for commercial

purposes, such as pet food.

Last year the NSW quota was just over one million, however the actual take was below this because of the downturn in the industry.

The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water is responsible for handing out licences to commercial operators and said the process was humane.