The Feral Pig and Pest Program will be delivered by Local Land Services (LLS) from August 2024 to June 2025 on behalf of the NSW Government.
Every landholder has a General Biosecurity Duty to reduce risks caused by pest animals. This program supports landholders to take action to prevent, eliminate or minimise pest animals and their impact.
The program builds on the success of the 2023-24 Feral Pig Program and other control activities LLS has coordinated with landholders across the state in previous years.
Objectives
Support landholders in controlling feral pigs and pest animals.
Reduce the impacts of feral pigs and pest animals on agricultural and environmental assets.
Build landholder capability in feral pig and other pest animal management.
Maintain workforce capability to support pest animal control and coordination.

Project delivery
Key activities of the Feral Pig and Pest Program include:
- coordinated broadscale control programs targeting feral pigs and other priority pest animal species in key locations across the state to further support existing landholder driven programs
- providing land managers with the knowledge, skills and support to implement control programs on their land
- promoting and employing best practice management techniques for reducing feral pig and other priority pest animal populations
- educating landholders in their General Biosecurity Duty responsibilities related to managing pest animals under the Biosecurity Act 2015
- engaging landholders to participate in control programs
- maintaining a trained biosecurity workforce with the skills, experience and capacity to assist landholders to manage invasive species
- continuing the role of the NSW State Feral Pig Coordinator to lead and coordinate the program
- establishing localised monitoring programs of feral pigs and other priority pest animal species
- providing subsidised 1080 poison to eligible landholders for feral pig baiting.
Support for landholders
Vertebrate Pesticide Induction Training
Free VPIT courses available online and face-to-face at locations across NSW.
Capacity building events
Get the skills and advice you need to actively manage pest animals.
Feral pig control
Watch our video series to learn about trapping, baiting and pest animal behaviour.
Subsidised bait
Eligible landholders can access fully subsided 1080 poison up to 30 June 2025.

Get involved
Landholder participation in control programs is essential. The more landholders taking part in control programs, the more successful we will be in reducing pest animal numbers and impacts, protecting farming operations and the environment.
Local Land Services biosecurity officers can:
- provide tailored advice on pest animal management
- connect you to the latest tools, training and events
- help you understand your General Biosecurity Duty obligations.
Work underway
Local Land Services is currently offering co-ordinated control programs, training opportunities, free bait and equipment hire to help manage feral pigs and pest animals. Land managers can complete the Feral Pig and Pests Impact Survey to help shape ongoing support.
Progress updates
Engagement
- 14,716 consultations with land managers for pest animal management
- 36 awareness events across the state with 649 participants
- 140 landholders surveyed as part of impacts monitoring
- 725 participants at free VPIT courses held online
- 53 participants at 5 face-to-face VPIT courses.
Ground control
- 3,805 feral pigs controlled through coordinated ground control programs
- 1,381 properties participating
- 2,599,488 hectares protected through ground control
- 61,528 kg free bait issued to landholders on 647 instances
- 78,960 kg free feed grain supplied to 407 landholders for trapping programs.
Aerial control
- 14 aerial control programs
- 1,295 properties participating
- 1,434,659 hectares protected through aerial control
- 29,253 feral pigs controlled
- 5,918 deer controlled.
Tailored support
Trained local biosecurity officers across NSW are providing free one-on-one consultations with landholders for pest animal management. From advice on effective control methods, to coordinating across neighbouring boundaries, biosecurity officers are working with land managers to deliver aerial and ground control programs.
Practical workshops
Free awareness and capacity building events are rolling out across the state to provide landholders with the latest skills and knowledge in pest animal control. Training sessions may include identifying signs, control techniques and trapping demonstrations.
Vertebrate Pesticide Induction Training
Landholders have the opportunity to complete free VPIT training to gain the accreditation needed to use pesticides to control vertebrate pest animals. Face-to-face courses are offered in different locations or training can be done online at any time.
Equipment
LLS is providing equipment on loan to eligible landholders to help them carry out control programs on their property. Depending on availability, resources range from cameras for monitoring to different styles of traps for feral animals.
Feral Pig and Pest Impacts Survey
Are you a rural land manager?
Complete this survey on the impact feral pigs and pests have had on your property.
Your responses will help us better manage the problem.
Landholder success stories
Hear from landholders who have received support from Local Land Services and are having success with their feral pig and pest control methods.
Barraba farmer Liam Johnston says the risk of feral pigs spreading disease to his cattle is his biggest concern, but joining his neighbours in a control group for coordinated baiting has dramatically reduced feral pig numbers.

Neighbours join forces to reduce disease risk and feral pigs
When the feral pig problem was getting too hard for landowners to manage with the existing controls they had, joining with neighbours in a group control program led to...
Inverell grazier Kym Thomas says feral pigs were "out of control" before trapping, fencing and control efforts reduced their numbers and limited the damaging impacts on her sheep, land and income.
Control feral pigs to increase livestock production
Advice from Local Land Services biosecurity officers, and assistance with trapping, fencing and control efforts, helped Inverell grazier Kym Thomas to reduce the damage...
Central Tablelands beef farmer Nic Job was better able to control feral pig numbers with new techniques and access to free grain, trap and camera hire.
Feral pig management case study: Royalla Shorthorn Beef, Yeoval
When feral pigs first moved into the Yeoval area in the late 2000s, they were at first a novelty in the countryside. However when their numbers started to build, grazier...
Jack Pearlman, Northern Tablelands grain grower and cattle producer knows the losses feral pigs can cause to crops during harvest.
Working with his neighbours, he has controlled more than 1,300 feral pigs and built his capacity to continue into the future.
“I could be sitting at the header one day and see 20-30 hectares decimated by pigs.
It’s labour-intensive work but to learn different control methods and tools from Local Land Services and having their support to continually get on top of feral pig numbers over a longer period, showed me the impact you can achieve through longer control programs.”
To learn more about pest animal management, call LLS on 1300 795 299 and ask to speak with your local biosecurity officer.
Contact Local Land Services NSW
Our team welcome your enquiries, feedback and comments.
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