Are you a hen or are you a hunter?
This is what butcher Matt Fox asks shoppers when they make a double take on the counter of his Mount Gambier store.
The butcher of Mr. Fox, with sausages, schnitzels, premium cuts and curry, specializes in meats that are not commonly found on farms.
A closer look at the meat counter reveals a plethora of species: from buffalo to emu, goat, camel, game birds and crocodiles.
And with a more than 175 percent increase in the price of lamb since 2000 and nearly double the prices of beef in the box, Mr. Fox said he had found that more families were looking for cheaper ways to introduce protein into your dish.
“Most people are intrigued; a lot of them already have an interest and that’s why they sell us, but some people go over the counter and make a turn, and most of the time we’re able to get them to have- an attempt, “he said.
Emu, crocodile and camel meat ladders are available. (Provided by: Matt Fox)
“We’re slowly getting more traction and people have more confidence to try it out. They’re discovering how beautiful it really is and how it best fits the budget.”
Fox said that because game meat was naturally low in cholesterol, high in protein and low in fat, it was “a healthy alternative.”
Game to grow
While Mr. Fox agreed that some of the meat he sells is “pretty out there,” it’s not new territory for the father of two, who grew up eating mostly deer.
“When I was young I grew up eating deer, because my mother was a single mother with five children and didn’t have a lot of money,” she said.
“My uncle used to hunt deer to get skins, and of course there was a lot of meat because he gave it to us to help mom.”
His wife, Amanda, is a chef and the Fox family regularly enjoys emu schnitzels, camel sausages, goat curry and wild boar ribs.
“Kids don’t blink, they love it,” he said.
“The flavors aren’t that different. Buffalo and camel taste very similar to veal.”
He said that for newcomers, the best place to start was buffalo because it was very similar to beef.
“Then you can switch to camel, because it’s a lamb-like mild flavor,” he said.
“If you feel a little more adventurous; deer, kangaroo and emu … or even crocodiles and some game birds that are a great alternative to chicken.”
Address the “overpopulation” of wildlife
Fox said game meat “could easily occupy a larger place in the market” because of its natural abundance and environmental credentials.
“We have this great resource and most of it goes overseas when it could be used here in Australia,” he said.
“There are 24 million wild boars in Australia, there are 2.4 million goats, 1-2 million deer and camels.
“A huge population of protein, whether native or wild, that is not being used.”
He said there was an opportunity to address wildlife populations, many of which were becoming too abundant.
“So it’s sustainable for Australia, as well as for the family budget, to eat this meat,” he said.
“There’s a lot of debate about farm livestock emissions, but there’s a great natural resource that we’re not looking at for our own consumption.”
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The rise of the roo
Fox noted the increase in interest in recent years for kangaroo meat, which he said was a “versatile, cheap and healthy protein.”
Kangaroo meat was legalized for human consumption in South Australia in 1980, while in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria it could only be sold as pet food until 1993.
Hunting sausages are one of the most popular items in Mr Fox’s butcher shop. (Provided by: Matt Fox)
However, most Australian kangaroo meat is exported, with 70% sold in the European market, mainly in Germany and France.
But the industry is growing in South Australia, according to senior environmental kangaroo environmentalist Dr Amanda McLean.
In 2020, the South Australian Department of the Environment and Water expanded commercial harvest areas to include the upper and lower southeast of the state.
“We conduct population surveys of western gray and red kangaroos each year, and we establish sustainable quotas for that information,” Dr. McLean said.
“We also did an additional survey in the southeast in May and there has been a fairly high number of kangaroos, which has allowed us to increase quotas in this area.
“Quotas typically range from 3,000 to 8,000 heads a year, but this year we’ve released an additional 6,400 tags.”
According to the data, it is estimated that the continental western gray populations in the southern agricultural harvest region are 228,094 head in 2022; an increase of 8% over the 2020 estimate of 208,811.
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