According to a peak farming body, farmers are saying explosion in feral pig numbers on public lands in the north and west of the state has resulted in massive damage to properties and livestock.
Across the state more than 34,000 hoofed feral animals – including pigs, deer and goats – had been culled since November, but the feral pig population was still enormous, the organisation said.
NSW Farmers member Peter Mailler was still seeing them run across his front lawn at North Star, and he said they presented a huge biosecurity risk if not controlled.
“They’re doing enormous damage to property and the numbers are as bad as I’ve ever seen them,” he explained.
“We need effective pest control management plans with the resources and commitment of all parties to tackle feral pests and weeds so we can get on top of them and stay on top of them.
“Farmers can’t do this individually – pigs and other pests don’t respect property boundaries, the state needs to ramp up efforts and do the job properly.”
According to the NSW Government, feral pigs were a “key threatening process” as they spread weeds and disease, hunt native animals and damage the environment. They also posed a problem for farmers as they preyed on newborn lambs, eat and destroy grain crops and pastures, and damage fences.
Bronwyn Petrie from the NSW Farmers Conservation and Resource Management Committee said while farmers were active in trying to control pest animals and weeds on their properties, a lack of effective control on public lands was undermining their efforts.
“Farmers know that’s where the pigs are breeding because we see them coming onto our farms from public lands,” she stated.
“Yet over the past seven years there hasn’t been a single prosecution on public land managers for animal pests.
“Unless there is an urgent and coordinated control effort on all land – public and private – this problem will only get worse.”