Government representatives and key industry stakeholders will attend a planned Wild Dog Forum this week to discuss the best way to spend the funds over four years.
Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan has called on the Federal Government to match the State Government's funding commitment and to address the shortfall in funding for WA wild dog control.
The state government has locked in $2.36 million to employ an additional eight wild dog trappers or doggers to work with biosecurity groups across the rangelands to control the vertebrate pests over the next three years.
Another $90,000 will be invested in a veterinary graduate program to sterilise dogs in remote communities to help stop the spread of the wild dog population, with expansion of the program under consideration.
Other initiatives to be considered for funding at the forum include exclusion fencing and extending and repairing sections of the State Barrier Fence.
Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said wild dogs are estimated to cause losses of $25 million per year to rangelands sheep and goat production, limiting employment opportunities in the Murchison and other pastoral regions.
"Recognising the seriousness of this problem, we're taking immediate steps to support the industry through employing new doggers and funding sterilisation programs,” Minister MacTiernan said.
"We need to ensure that the significant funding set aside by the WA government is spent in the best possible way, backed by science - our Wild Dog Forum this week will lay out those policy settings,” she said.
"Now that our government has locked in this funding, there is absolutely no excuse for Barnaby Joyce to continue to discriminate against WA in Federal funding - WA has received just $2 million from the Federal Government for wild dog activities, while Queensland has received $12 million in the last three years."
