world Russia has banned the importation of kangaroo meat from Australia. Producers fear the decision will decimate their industry. Russia was the main market for the Australian kangaroo trade, accounting for about 70% of international demand.

Russia is worried about the bacterial contamination of kangaroo meat. Officials in Moscow have said that several recent consignments have been tainted with E-coli bacteria and will not allow further shipments into the country.

The import ban is a major blow to Australian producers. Russia was their biggest international customer and hundreds of jobs are now at risk. Already a handful of meat processing plants have closed down.