The Balkans imported 2,000 tonnes of kangaroo meat last year and Cairns predicted a 20 percent growth in exports to the region in 2002.

He said demand in the Balkans had grown continuously for three years, but gave no comparative figures.

Demand for kangaroo meat leapt by 20-30 percent last year in Western Europe, due to food scares triggered by mad cow disease, foot and mouth outbreaks and dioxin contamination.

Cairns said the rise in interest in the Balkans reflected the increase in new Western-style restaurants and supermarkets, Cairns said.

He said Australia might soon gain a foothold in Romania, a country of 22 million - the biggest in the region - where consumers favour pork.

"The first trial cargo, a pretty large one of 20 tonnes of kangaroo meat arrived last week," Cairns said.

But the meat which sells for up to $4 a kilo in the Balkans would be a luxury in Romania, where the average monthly wage is $100.

Cairns acknowledged that animal rights groups fiercely objected to consumption of kangaroo in Western Europe but said they were less active in the Balkans.

"There are 35 million kangaroos (around Australia), they become a pest," he added.