GAME protection for deer in NSW is hugely political – for the farmers losing money trying to control the species, the recreational shooters who want to hunt them, the conservationists who see the damage up close, and those at Macquarie Street caught in the crossfire.
Government’s move to empower the 11 Local Land Services areas to address regional pest problems certainly has merit.
But farmers will question the sense in keeping wild deer on the game animal register.
For those who haven’t got deer yet, studies show it is only a matter of time until they do, at least under current conditions.
They eat into crops and pastures, compete with livestock for feed and can spread diseases such as Johnes and leptospirosis.
The nine local councils worst-affected by wild deer can, however, chalk up a win, with hunting protections now suspended in those areas.
But on an issue so widespread, it remains to be seen if hyper-local exclusions will be enough.
Furthermore, will stakeholders across an entire LLS region be able to reach a consensus on what constitutes a deer threat, and what action should be taken?
It is a debate that has potential to divide regions – 11 times over – and add an unnecessary layer of complication for frustrated farmers.
Primary Industries minister Niall Blair says it is missing the point to get caught up in game/pest animal terminology. He used feral pigs as an example of a pest that hasn’t been brought under control despite being listed as a pest species.
Pigs, not too unlike deer, are highly mobile. They can breed in one area and then move about looking for food.
The advantage of pigs being listed as a pest, however, is that landholders have the opportunity at a regional level, to curb their numbers through a variety of means, such as poisoning, shooting or trapping, as they move from property to property.
Pigs can also be targeted in planned control programs around key times such as lambing or harvest.
Deer, likewise, could be better controlled in well-timed, targeted programs that involved multiple landholders to ease the pressure on key periods, such as crop emergence – if they were not protected .
Keeping deer as game shows disregard for those struggling with their impacts. Farmers are the losers in this political stoush.
