PRODUCERS want Local Land Services to step up managing “plague proportions” of feral pigs around the Macquarie Marshes and Gwydir Wetlands.
Local farmers spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on private helicopters and contract shooters in an attempt to control rampant mobs of pigs destroying their crops, sheep flocks and fences.
Moree farmer Stuart Gall, “Tycannah”, said forking out for aerial culls was a regrettable reality of farming in his district.
In the past few months he spent more than $5000 shooting mobs which thrive between Gurley and Tycannah creeks.
“They breed so prolifically – I saw one sow just the other day and I counted 17 suckers on her. The bureaucrats can’t sit back and watch any longer,” Mr Gall said.
“Between my neighbours and me there have been around eight shoots along 40 kilometres of creek this year. For every hour and a half the chopper stays in the air they shoot about 500 pigs.”
He said government needed to manage feral pigs as regional threat, not just a problem for individual landholders.
“If you ask me, it’s not just a state threat, it’s a national threat – feral pigs carry exotic diseases.
“I really believe our reputation in the eyes of our export markets could be at jeopardy.”
He said Local Land Services (LLS) did not have enough resources to cope with the scale of the problem.
“The LLS is too top-heavy and there aren’t enough boots on the ground,” he said.
“There’s no point culling a mob here, culling a mob there.
“There needs to be a co-ordinated approach to the issue by the state government.
The LLS needs to work with landholders to address whole catchment areas or regions at a time.”
Warren farmer Richard Wass, “Mount Foster”, shared Mr Gall’s sentiments.
Since December he has paid for four aerial culls to manage a pig population which he believed was thriving in the Macquarie Marshes.
Only last week he sent a helicopter out as a measure to protect his young chickpea crop.
“I don’t mind having to pay for something that gives me benefit, but when there’s no control inside the national park in the Macquarie Marshes, and there is control by neighbouring landholders, then it is unfair,” Mr Wass said.
Central West LLS biosecurity officer Luke Scales said his organisation was making headway on the issue.
LLS had ramped up its management and co-ordination of feral pig programs, which Mr Scales said was “highly successful” around the Marshes.
He could not comment on the control program undertaken by National Parks and Wildlife Services in the Macquarie Marshes.
But Mr Scales said LLS feral pig management outside the park had delivered efficiencies.
He said a single campaign at the Marshes eight years ago would yield 6000 pigs.
The number was now down to 1430 in a reduced number of hours.
“As a general rule, an aerial operation to control feral pigs is a tool in the bag of an integrated approach throughout the Central West,” Mr Scales said.
“Many areas that have an aerial cull completed have been continuously working on suppressing numbers using approved methods such as 1080 bating, trapping, and ground shooting.”
LLS offers to co-ordinate culls for landholders, but many such as Anthony McAlary, “Milawa” and “Willow Bend”, Warren, prefer to do it themselves.
They argue services provided by the organisation are too infrequent and inflexible.
Mr McAlary paid $15,000 for private aerial culls last year, which shot more than 1800 pigs in one three-day period.
“The LLS might do one shoot for you but the problem requires constant vigilance,” he said.
“In my experience it’s more effective to organise it privately because at $2500 to $3000 a shoot they’re cheaper and more flexible with their timing.”
Mr Scales could not comment on the specific cost to landholders of an LLS aerial shoot, only that charges included the hourly rate of an approved helicopter provider, plus a slight ammunition charge for private shooting.
He said the LLS did not charge a fee for aerial shooting service, as it used accredited LLS staff members.
Mr McAlary said he believed the LLS could do more to encourage inactive landholders to do their bit.
“They’re really not pushing the agenda with landholders who aren’t taking action.
Ferals rip into Nevertire crop
FERAL pigs destroyed five per cent of Geoff Chase's chickpea crop at Nevertire by ripping into the paddock during germination.
At $780 a tonne (delivered to Newcastle) chickpeas are worth protecting.
Mr Chase crops 400 hectares of the legumes at Peter and Tina Leslie's property, "Beverley", and the pigs got into the crop in several places.
"Germination is down to 80 per cent in the affected areas," said Mr Chase (pictured with Mr Leslie after a pig cull and inspecting his damaged chickpea crop).
"The crop is planted on 108 millimetre spacings and they stick their noses down and rip right down the row.
"We've got a couple of hectares that they've ripped up - it looks like it's been done by a machine."
An aerial shoot over the property three weeks ago took out 125 of the culprits, but Mr Chase has seen dozens since.
The shoot was co-ordinated by the Central West Local Land Services.
"It wasn't until we started sowing chickpeas that we noticed there were so many pigs, so we're following now up with trapping and shooting.
"If we are still seeing damage in a couple of week's time we'll move on to baiting, but we're hoping trapping will keep them at bay.
"It's important we get the population under control now because they'll do a lot of damage once the chickpeas form their pods."
Mr Chase sowed his HatTrick chickpeas in late May.
