New pest plans: What’s in store for Bambi in the wake of Brumby bill?

New Regional Pest Plans are being launched on Sunday for each of the 11 Local Land Services zones, meaning rural landowners will learn their strategy for handling feral pigs, wild dogs, rabbits, mice, cats and deer.

The launch represents the end of a two-year consultation on what animal species are doing the worst damage to farms and the environment, and what the best options for control are. 

It also follows questions in Parliament from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers on whether government would cancel aerial culling for wild deer in the North West, like it had for wild brumbies in the Kosciusko National Park.

In foreshadowing the go-live of the new pest plans this weekend, NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair has also announced an extra $6m funding to help them roll out.

On conservative estimates, The Natural Resources Commision has estimated introduced pests cost the NSW economy at least $170 million each year in lost production. 

Mr Blair said over the past 12 months, LLS had helped remove about 30,000 pests across NSW, including 17,971 wild pigs, 1613 wild goats, 8468 deer, 1070 wild dogs and 233 foxes.

The 11 plans come into effect on Sunday and will vary from region to region.

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“Biosecurity is a shared responsibility and these plans make it very clear as to what our responsibilities are and how each of us can go about achieving them,” Mr Blair said.

“I believe these plans will hit the mark.”

Comment on draft plans was open until the end of April. 

LLS previously reported that farmers, landholders, conservationists and recreational hunters had accounted for “hundreds of submissions”, with wild deer and wild dogs among the major talking points.

Submissions have not yet been made public. 

Many are no doubt keen to see if the final pest plans reflect the draft intent displayed by certain LLS regions on wild deer.

Deer management has been a politically loaded issue in NSW with a divide between the recreational hunting lobby and farmer groups over whether to preserve the animal as an economic resource for hunting, or to eradicate the animal due to its increasing impact on farm productivity and the environment. 

NSW Farmers and the Invasive Species Council have each called for deer to be taken off the game animal register. 

Nine local government areas have already had deer hunting protections suspended because of rising numbers, while some south coast landholders report losses of more than $30,000 a year due to pasture and fencing impacts. 

But hunters maintain that licensed shooters, if allowed to hunt in more areas of the state including National Parks, are best placed to control deer numbers.

The lobby has previously argued against aerial culling and baiting, but has advocated for deer to be shot from ground vehicles. 

​Recreational hunting also adds about $119m to the state’s economy every year, while licensed hunters regularly offer up their services to landholders to control pests on their properties. 

Deer, however, was listed as an emerging or problem pest across the board in the 11 draft pest plans, and was singled out by three regions a serious enough to warrant an end to hunting protections. 

They were the North West, Northern Tablelands, and South East LLS regions. 

In response to the Shooters’ Party questions on wild deer earlier in June, Mr Blair said it was very different to the brumby issue, in that the culls were being carried out on private property. 

“There has also been a lot of consultation with the landholders and extensive planning has taken place for these aerial culls,” Mr Blair said.

The new protections granted to wild horses in the Snowy Mountains has drawn the ire of conservationists, who say the animal is feral and should not be allowed to roam in the park in large numbers. 

Deputy Premier John Barilaro says the horses will be actively managed so they don’t degrade ecosystems in the Park. 

During the Brumby debate, NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham also drew a link to wild deer.  

“Protecting a feral animal for political reasons is not entirely without precedent,” Mr Buckingham said. 

“(Government) have refused to declare deer a pest despite the enormous damage they cause to agriculture and the environment… refuse(d) to set up a professional hunting program, allow hunting at night, or remove deer's status as a game animal.   

“Why? In exchange for the votes of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, who want deer to be protected as a hunting resource.” 

Mr Blair has previously said declaring deer a statewide pest wouldn’t necessarily see it eradicated. 

“Whether something is declared a pest or not hasn’t determined its success as being controlled in the past,” he said last year.

“Just looks at wild pigs.”

In the next six months, LLS has planned a ground and aerial spring baiting program, aerial shooting in the Central West, Riverina and Northern Tablelands, wild dog trapping schools, fox dog lotto, and aerial baiting rabbits in the Riverina.

Meanwhile the Federal government has announced a $130m biosecurity boost ahead of Monday night’s Four Corners expose Outbreak, which the ABC has billed as a deep dive into expensive breaches, smuggling, a lack of enforcement, and corruption within the Department. 

The story is from Linton Besser, the journalist behind the Pumped expose on Barwon-Darling water matters.