Page 20 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Riverina Local Land Service said the abundance of feed and water was leading feral pigs to breed in huge numbers this season.
Feral pigs are feasting on the spoils of a healthy grain harvest, prompting authorities to call on farmers to
stay on top of the pest.
Feral pigs thriving on harvest spoils
Reduction of feral pigs a priority
for Australian agriculture
A RECENT survey, Channon stressed the managers recognised undertake stakeholder
sustained action, ca- pacity and capability over the long-term.
conducted by the Na- tional Feral Pig Man- agement Program, has found 69 percent of Australian landholders want to see the ac- tive suppression of the feral pig population to reduce its impact on environmental, agri- cultural, cultural and social assets.
growing impact of the feral pig problem in Australia.
coordinated control programs would help them to maintain their interest and activity over time.”
engagement, drive ef- fective investment and raise awareness of feral pig issues.
Through the involve- ment of governments and stakeholders in the development of the plan, widespread sup- port is essential in pro- viding a solid founda- tion to underpin future investment in feral pig management.
In Australia, feral pigs are a major pest and a significant threat to Australia’s $60 billion agricultural industry, due to their destruction of crops and pastures, ability to spread weeds and disease, and preda- tion of livestock.
“This estimate does not include the costs as- sociated with environ- mental, biodiversity and social impacts caused by feral pigs, reflecting the difficulty and com- plexity involved in quantifying total costs.
While Australian farmers understand the need for impact moni- toring, they have placed greater emphasis on prioritising coordinated local programs to edu- cate and empower land managers to control and manage feral pigs.
The NFPAP will set out a range of actions to improve feral pig man- agement in Australia.
For further infor- mation, please visit feralpigs.com.au or con- tact Heather Channon on 0423 056 045 or at heather.channon@feral pigs.com.au
“It is estimated feral pigs cost Australia’s agricultural industries more than $100 mil- lion every year,” Dr Channon said.
Measures including focused management programs, ongoing mon- itoring and data collec- tion are used to support impact reduction.
This work will help to ensure the most ef- fective feral pig control methods are under- stood and used, and are strengthening the on- ground work carried out by state and territory governments and land managers.
“Feral pigs cause se- rious damage to our natural environment and land.
The plan will guide
The survey results echoed this effect, with one-third of land man- agers having to sig- nificantly change their business, management or production practices on their properties due to feral pig activity over the past five years.
“The majority of the survey respondents’ – 78 percent – listed land degradation as the number one issue of feral pigs.”
The findings of the survey align with the goals of the NFPAP, which ultimately are to guide and support gov- ernments, industry, land managers and commu- nity groups to work to- gether to deliver coor- dinated, sustained and humane control of feral pigs.
As part of the devel- opment of the National Feral Pig Action Plan, the survey captured 776 responses from stakeholders to better understand key issues for consideration, man- agement methods being used to control the feral pig population and their effectiveness, and damage being caused by feral pigs.
While agreeing with the respondents’ desires for the reduction of the feral pig population, Dr Channon also stressed the importance of land managers focusing on impact reduction and working together to control feral pigs by hu- manely applying adap- tive best practice man- agement methods.
About the National Feral Pig Management Program
National feral pig management coor- dinator Dr Heather
“The suppression of the feral pig population is crucial to protect as- sets from feral pig ac- tivities,” Dr Channon said.
In December 2019, the Federal Government provided $1.4 million over 3.5 years to Aus- tralian Pork Limited to establish a national feral pig management coordinator, with the role of facilitating the delivery of feral pig management ap- proaches on a national, regional and local scale,
“The survey identi- fied 49 percent of land
National Feral Pig Managment Coordinator, Dr Heather Channon.
BUMPER harvests are providing pigs with perfect conditions for a feeding and breeding frenzy.
fever, and if an outbreak was to occur and spread, it would have a huge economic impact in Aus- tralia.
Local Land Services is urging landholders to ramp up their ground con- trol of the pest.
Ms Bramma recognised many farmers were busy with harvest at the mo- ment and most feral pig control would be carried out post-harvest.
In the Riverina area feral pigs are feasting on the spoils of a healthy grain harvest, prompting authorities to call on farmers to stay on top of the pest.
“Taking the time now to put traps out near water and feed sources will get the pigs used to them, and then the traps can be set once summer hits and harvest is over,” Ms Brammasaid.
Biosecurity officer for the regional LLS Eliza Bramma said the abun- dance of feed and water was leading to feral pigs breeding in huge num- bers.
“It’s the same thing with baiting.
“This season we are seeing numbers more in the range of 10 offspring per sow, so they are cer- tainly on the increase,” Ms Bramma said.
“If you put out grain for them in a designated area, you can try and establish what numbers are there, and your LLS biosecurity officer can work out a plan with you to control them.”
“There was plenty of feed, water and protection available over winter and into spring and that is the perfect formula for feral pigs to breed up.”
The Queensland Gov- ernment has reported that Australia has a feral pig population of about 24 million.
Ms Bramma said har- vested grain that was stored in silo bags was an appealing food source for feral pigs.
“We are not winning the war on feral pigs – it is a long slog – it is some- thing we are going to have to keep on top of,” Ms Bramma said.
“We urge farmers to fence around their silo bags and keep stored grain away from any hills and scrub country,” Ms Bramma said.
“I don’t think there is a silver bullet at this stage, apart from consistency.
“It also helps to clean up any spilt grain around, as it will deter pigs from establishing in that area.”
“Landholders need to get ahead of the game now and target them over summer when feed be- comes more scarce, as they will be ready to have another litter by sowing time in autumn.”
Ms Bramma said feral pigs were hugely destruc- tive and controlling of the pest with baiting, trapping and shooting was essential.
Being a busy time of year for farmers, there is no better opportunity to introduce yourself to a farmer, build a relation- ship and with luck enjoy your past-time while con- trolling an exploding feral population.
Causing damage by dig- ging out furrows after sowing, feral pigs prey on lambs, however the biggest risk they pose is disease.
They can carry foot and mouth disease and swine
“Controlling the pest in summer was key to re- ducing feral pig numbers.
Page 20 – Australian Pork Newspaper, December 2020
It helps to clean up any spilt grain to deter feral pigs from establishing in that area.
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