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The one-year program will be delivered by the Department of Regional NSW through Local Land Services, implementing the latest technologies and control methods to reduce feral pig populations.
The program will include:
- Landscape scale aerial shooting and ground control activities
- Building landholder capacity and capability to control feral pigs through training and extension
- Establishing a NSW State Feral Pig Coordinator to oversee the delivery of control activities and landholder support.
The one-year program will bring the NSW Government spend on control of feral pig populations to $13 million in the 2023-24 financial year.
Consecutive favourable seasonal conditions with flooding and wet weather have created ideal conditions for pigs to breed and this has led to the growth and expansion of feral pig populations.
Over the past 12 months, Local Land Services has culled more than 97,000 feral pigs.
Feral pigs can carry and transmit a range of both animal-related and zoonotic diseases, such as leptospirosis and Brucellosis.
Under the Biosecurity Act 2015, all landholders have a responsibility to manage pest animals on their land.
Local Land Services plays a leading role in the coordination of wide-scale, cross-tenure pest animal control operations that help reduce pest animal populations and can support landholders to meet their general biosecurity duty.
NSW Premier, Chris Minns, said: "The feral pig population has increased substantially over recent years, causing millions of dollars worth of damage in lost agricultural production and environmental degradation."
NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, said: "The impact of pest animals, particularly feral pigs is enormous, whether it's damaging native flora and fauna and attacking native species or destroying pasture, crops and fences.
"On top of aerial shooting operations, this new program will also deliver practical training for landholders to help control feral pigs on their properties and provide subsided feral pig bait, to promote an integrated approach to control."
