A sweeping demand for wild meat in dog food is helping fulfil the Predator Free 2050 plan, as canine food companies begin to make a “significant dent” yearly in pest populations.

Paeroa’s Fond Foods – one of the first New Zealand companies to introduce possum meat into its dog rolls – purchases around 100 tonnes of possum meat yearly.

Its main supplier, Pest Pro NZ in Katikati, manages 100 hunters who trap on average 300,000 possums yearly from TB- and 1080-free areas around the country.

While this growing industry may not “save the planet”, both companies say the popularity in possum pet food is driving an effective culling practice for pest populations.

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