Makro has pledged to stop selling kangaroo meat after animal welfare campaigners threatened to boycott the cash & carry chain.

The move, which brings Makro into line with supermarkets and rival Booker, comes as part of a new meat-sourcing policy by the cash & carry giant, according to The Independent.

In a letter to vegetation group Viva!, Makro said: “We have taken the decision to remove from sale kangaroo meat until we are provided with such information from our suppliers that assures us that the management of the animals has been fully reviewed.”

It continued: “We recognise that 'alternative meats' are still popular with our customers – who are, in the main, professional caterers – and that we live in a multicultural society where the choice of meats is broader. However, we have taken this decision in line with the introduction of our new meat-sourcing policy.”

The Australian Department of Environment & Heritage Hunting said hunting and droughts have halved wild kangaroo populations in the past decade, falling from 51 million in 2000 to 25 million last year.