Emus

Synopsis – Australian Industry

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), a native of Australia, is the world's second largest living bird (only the ostrich is larger). An adult emu can weigh over 50 kilograms.

Commercial farming of emus began in 1987 and since that time has spread to all Australian states and to some other countries, most notably the United States. Wild harvesting of emus is prohibited throughout Australia.  In 2001, there were around 145 establishments producing emus in Australia, but the number had declined to around 41 in 2006.

The main products from emus are meat, oil and skins for leather. Emu meat is a low-fat, low cholesterol, high protein red meat. Emu oil, rendered from emu fat, is sold as a medicinal oil for the relief of joint pain, soft tissue injury and dermatitis, as well as a base for a range of cosmetics. Body and leg skin is used to make a high quality leather.

The average meat yield from an emu is 12 kilograms and the oil yield is 6 litres. In the five years to 2007, the main markets for Australia emu meat were; Malaysia (47 per cent of total Australia meat exports), United States (35 per cent), Hong Kong (10 per cent) and Switzerland (5 per cent). Emu oil is exported to a number of countries, particularly the United States.

Emu production in Australia has declined substantially from the peak of 21 000 birds slaughtered in 1996. A series of droughts in the 2000s contributed to this production decline. However, the value of emu production in recent years has been boosted by higher export prices for emu meat. The value of emu production in 2007 was an estimated $1.34 million.

Links

• Emu Industry Federation of Australia (www.emuindustry.asn.au/effa.html), industry representative body.