Farmers are calling for more resources to tackle pigs as millions of the pests rampage across the state.
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the state’s pig problem was out of control, with official estimates suggesting there could be up to 100 million feral pigs in Australia at present.
“It’s the worst it’s ever been – these pigs are killing calves and lambs, wrecking food crops and wreaking havoc across hundreds of millions of hectares of NSW’s prime agricultural land,” Mr Martin said.
“These pests also pose a very real biosecurity risk, having the ability to travel many kilometres day and night, carrying, spreading and transferring noxious weeds and animal disease.
“Farmers are doing their best to contain the problem, but the numbers don’t lie, and the reality is we need to cull at least 80 per cent of these pigs annually if we are to win the battle against these pests.”
As the situation continues to deteriorate, further funding and resources to support baiting, trapping and aerial shooting of feral pigs must be an absolute priority in this year’s state budget, said Mr Martin.
“The Minns Government’s $13 million dollar investment into feral pig culls was welcome – but it’s not going to be enough when these animals are crawling like ants through the state,” Mr Martin said.
“If we’re to truly break the breeding cycle, feral pig control needs to be a priority in this year’s state budget, or else the problem will spiral further and further out of control.
“We can’t leave individual farmers to face this problem alone – we need all the resources coordinated to tackle this super pest spreading through our state.”
