Feral pigs destroy hundreds of acres of crops in the Riverina

Brett Dunn from Coobool Downs Pastoral Co, near Mellool, planted field peas last month and has had to resow 50 per cent of the crop after losing 200 acres to feral pigs.

Mr Dunn said it would cost him about $5000 but it was more the farm's timelines that was the issue.

"If it was only 5 or 10 per cent you probably wouldn't worry about it but because it's 50 per cent you've really got to keep going and it's not something you want to do because you've missed your sowing date," he said.

"Everything should be growing and now it's three weeks behind because we have waited a couple of weeks to make sure we've got rid of as many pigs as we could and see what was going to grow back."

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The Dunn's property is 15,000 acres and a combination of grazing, broad acre farming and irrigation as well as two ponds growing Murray Cod for Murray Cod Australia and the feral pig problem is just adding to the workload.

"Everything's got a cost and you come down here and spend all day doing things when you should be doing other things," he said.

Mr Dunn said pigs have been a problem for years but have increased this year with keeping them under control a constant job.

"What we've found out this year is we trap heaps of pigs and in two months another mob will turn up and they'll be out of control again," he said.

"You can't stop trapping them or trying to control them."

With Foot and Mouth Disease close to Australia's borders Mr Dunn said this was a real concern.

"If we get foot and mouth disease in Australia we're buggered so we really need to be on it as much as we can and get as much help as we can," he said.

Mr Dunn said he would like to see less bureaucracy and a more coordinated response from Local Land Services like a district wide aerial shoot.

"They don't seem to take off the landholders word that we've got a pig problem - they've got to come in here and see it for themselves," he said.

"We wouldn't be calling a government department for help if we didn't need it."

Local Land Services conducts several programs across the state including the Western Riverina Pest Project.

Riverina Local Land Services Senior Biosecurity Officer Suzie Holbery said farmers have several options when it comes to controlling pigs including baits and trapping and the project had been trialling thermal assisted aerial shooting.

Ms Holbery said from 2016 to 2019 pig numbers had been decreasing but due to aerial shoots and other strategic programs being put off during COVID-19 and the couple of wet years which meant good breeding conditions pig numbers in the area had seen a slight increase again.

"It's not anything to panic about but it's certainly something we'll be monitoring closely and trying to drive back down," she said.