The NSW Government is raising the stakes in the war on pest animals, with the state’s first feral pig coordinator ready to roll out a boosted $13 million control program to support farmers.
Highlights of the NSW Government’s program include:
- NSW’s first dedicated feral pig coordinator appointed to lead the program
- Establishing 3 priority landscape control zones to knock down numbers and reduce impacts in feral pig hotspots across Riverina, northwest, and western NSW
- Boosting regional control programs, including 46 of the highly effective aerial shooting campaigns, and further support existing landholder driven programs
- Equipping farmers with 99 capacity building events to inform them on the latest tools and advice needed to actively manage pest animals
- Fully subsidising the cost of treating grain to bait feral pigs for farmers participating in the Feral Fighters program.
The state’s first feral pig coordinator, Bec Gray, brings to the role 12 years of experience working directly with landholders to manage feral pigs and other pest animals.
Over the next 8 months, she will drive the program to cull at least 87,000 feral pigs across NSW with high focus on the 3 priority hotspots.
These hotspots are known as ‘landscape control zones’ are based on known feral pig populations, impacts on agricultural and environmental assets, plus known landholder control efforts.
This model has proven to be a leading approach to pest animal management, with biosecurity officers and landholders working side by side, across private and public land.
NSW Local Land Services will adapt programs based on feral pig behaviours and movements.
With predicted dry conditions and warm weather over summer, control programs will focus around water resources as feral pigs will concentrate in these areas as other water sources deplete.
