Oregon plan to ban sale of kangaroo products is ‘emotive misinformation’, industry says

A bill that would ban the sale of kangaroo parts has been introduced in the US state of Oregon, taking aim at sports apparel manufacturers that use the animal's leather to make their products.

But Australian industry and conservation experts say the bill is "driven by emotive misinformation," and is "backed by people who are not qualified to comment".

The Australian government has also defended the industry as "sustainable and humane".

Football boots - known as soccer cleats in the US - are one of the only products made from kangaroo leather that are routinely sold in Oregon, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The measure would impact Nike, which is based in Oregon and the state's largest employer.

"It's unconscionable that millions of native wild animals in Australia have been killed for the sake of high-end soccer cleats worn by a subset of elite soccer players," Democratic Oregon senator Floyd Prozanski, who introduced the bill, said in a news release issued on Monday night by animal rights groups.

In the news release, the Center for a Humane Economy, Animal Wellness Action and the Animal Wellness Foundation welcomed the move.

"It's time for these shoe manufacturers to evolve their business model to eliminate extreme animal cruelty in their product offerings," said board member Rene Tatro.