North West region local achievement report

Chair foreword

On behalf of the North West Local Land Services board, I am pleased to present our 2024 Local Annual Achievement Report. 

We continued our feral pig control efforts through the NSW Feral Pig and Pest Program. Our staff converted old windmills to solar pumps for better water security and used drones for Mimosa control on our Travelling Stock Reserves. 

Invasive weed management was a priority, particularly Hudson pear and Harrisia cactus control. Our sustainable agriculture initiatives, including soil management, pasture production, and livestock nutrition, were well received by landholders. The small farms network grew, hosting workshops on fencing, water infrastructure, pasture identification and reducing biosecurity risks. 

Varied weather patterns challenged water management and fire preparedness. Our emergency management team implemented actions to improve our response to future events, enhancing regional resilience. 

We also onboarded a Natural Capital Advisor and a Cool Cultural Burning Advisor, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable and culturally sensitive land management. 

We look forward to supporting landholders through any new opportunities and challenges in 2025. 

Steph Cameron 
Chair, North West local board

North West Feral Pig and Pest Program 2024 

The North West Local Land Services Invasive Species team played an integral role in delivering coordinated landscape scale feral pig control programs in 2024 under the NSW Government’s Feral Pig and Pest Program. 

The team worked together with local landholders to reduce the number of feral pigs in targeted areas and limit their impacts through a combination of ground control methods in addition to aerial control programs at Cattle Creek, Croppa Creek, Burindi, Willow Tree and Upper Horton. 

Outcomes achieved via aerial control in 2024 included: 

• feral pigs - 21,517 removed
• feral deer - 5,391 removed
• foxes - 84 removed
• cats - 36 removed. 

An additional aerial shoot was conducted in March 2025 in the Upper Namoi. 

Workshops for landholders to build capacity are being held across multiple locations, highlighting the financial impact of feral pig damage, best practice pest animal management and the benefits of coordinated group control activities.

Achievements

• 372,454 ha of vertebrate pest control
• 35% of staff trained for an emergency response role
• 244 animal disease surveillance investigations
• 3,377 1:1 advice consultations
• 13,268 participants at awareness raising/capacity building events
• 8 emergency management preparatory exercises
• 106,647 ha of land improved for agricultural production
• 98,068 travelling stock reserves total stock number
• 805 travelling stock reserves permits issued
• 18,605 weed inspections.