Emus can be bred commercially for their meat, skin, oil, eggs and feathers. All birds used for commercial emu farming must be derived from farm-reared or captive stock.
Emus are protected in New South Wales by the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act). It is illegal to take emus or emu eggs from the wild.
When you need a licence
You need a biodiversity conservation licence, granted under the BC Act, to farm emus for commercial purposes.
An emu farmer licence allows you to possess, buy or sell live captive emus and emu eggs.
When you don’t need a licence
You don’t need a licence to possess, buy or sell the meat, skin, oil or other products derived from an emu that was lawfully killed for the purposes of sale.
Apply for an emu farmer licence
To apply for a licence to farm emus, contact us at wildlife.licensing@environment.nsw.gov.au to obtain an application form.
As part of your application, you’ll need to describe the premises on which you intend to farm emus, including details of fencing and other facilities. Prospective emu farming premises will be inspected before a licence is granted.
A licence will cost $400 and the licence term is one year.