A NSW Government website

Emu farming and egg carving licences

Commercial activities that involve captive-sourced emus and emu eggs need a licence.

Emus are protected under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 in New South Wales. Taking emus or emu eggs from the wild is illegal.

You need a licence to farm emus for their meat, skin, oil, eggs and feathers.

You also need a licence to obtain captive-sourced emu eggs to carve or decorate and sell.

If you want to keep captive-sourced emus as pets, you’ll need an animal keeper licence.

Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Cocoparra National Park

Find out how to apply for a licence to farm emus.

Emu egg carving, known as Kalti Paarti

Find out how to apply for a licence to carve or decorate emu eggs.

Contact us

Wildlife Team

Phone: 02 9585 6406

Email: [email protected]