Feral Pig Program 2023–24

Nic Job from Royalla Shorthorns, Yeoval. We ran a shorthorn stud in conjunction with my parents. I moved out here from another property in 2000. For the first few years, we didn't see any pigs at all and it probably, only 12, 12 or 15 years ago, we started to see a couple of pigs and then the numbers had just gradually increased and now we're seeing big numbers. Initially, it was a bit of a novelty because we had not seen them, but that that lasted for about two days. Then yeah, so went straight in trying to control them. 

We're starting to see a lot of poachers, trying to come in on our property without permission and that's becoming a nearly as bigger issue as the pigs in terms of we’re finding. Yeah, we'll find gates not only open, but gates pulled away and taken back. You know, some of the bulls on this place worth over $60,000. And if you get if you get two bulls that the gates are open, they get in joining each other. You can have broken legs and worse. 

My name's James Moses. I'm a biosecurity officer at Molong, which is part of the Local Land Services of the Central Tablelands. So we first, worked in with Nic with supplying traps and cameras, and grain, just to get him started. He's having trouble with pigs in one of his back paddocks and just worked with him with a few different techniques that he hadn't tried before with his previous trapping. Just to help him really get that good result when he did set the traps. You know, we've used LLS traps and LLS, we've tried baiting stations from the LLS, we are in contact with James fairly often and to try and see different methods and keep on top of the problem. The guys I work with are great, so yeah we've had really good communication with them. Prior to that, it was just, you know, on our own trying to do what we could, you know, occasionally take a dog out and try and catch some or shoot them and things like that, but that, that wasn't getting on top of the problem. We've got to kill 70, 73% every year just for the numbers to be stable. 

One of the most important tools the LLS has given us is the Feral Scan app. So we're able to report every time we see a pig. So they touch base. You know, if I put in numbers and if I've seen a big group, I'll get a call like, hey, you know, to see more. Are they the same group running around? Yeah. If they’re different pigs. So yeah, when we get constant feedback. I think what should be celebrated out here is that they have tried a few different techniques. It's not just been the one solution fixes the problem. We've trapped, we've looked at bait stations, opportunistic ground shooting. And it's all these combinations that really help get a handle on the pig numbers out here and also the data from Nic putting on Feral Scan has helped us plan aerial shoots and where we target areas through the Feral Fighters program, we, have been supplying free grain, free trap hire, free camera hire and free bait stations. And that's really help farmers and landholders just take that next step of, of doing control because, you know, it's it's not easy and it's time consuming and they've got a lot of jobs on. So if we can give them that little bit of a helping hand.

Yeah. That just gets the ball rolling. And once, once it's started, you know, it's much easier to maintain that and get a hold of pig numbers. I love getting out and talking to landholders and, you know, helping them, you know, we've got things now. We've got tools. We've got knowledge that we can pass on that can help that helps landholders, which helps their business, which helps everyone.

This pig problem is it's everyone's problem. It's all landholders. It's a serious threat to not only the cropping and the financial loss. And the pigs are doing a lot of damage to the environment as well. We really need a coordinated effort that all landholders are involved in.

Hello, Chris Maunder, Farmer and agronomist from Moree. We farm 6,000 hectares within 30 km of Moree.

Craig Thomas, my role in LLS is senior biosecurity officer for Local Land Services.

In my role, I undertake programs, coordinating landholders to do broader programs to control feral pigs in the broader landscape.
Chris, can you tell me about some of the damage that the feral pigs are doing here?

Last winter Craig they caused a lot of damage to our canola.

Came in from the from the west in huge numbers overnight and pretty much destroyed 30 hectares just up here on our western boundary.

Yep. So by not undertaking control to lose 30 hectares, that's going to have a fair impact on that cropping program.

Financially, that was a big hit for us and we thought we're doing a pretty good job locally controlling the pigs. Chris, can you tell me a bit about how a coordinated program within the area definitely helps in your local area? And if we did it further afield, it would help other farmers as well?

Absolutely. We need area wide management of this pest, it needs to be coordinated between a large group of growers and the key is monitoring and at a local level, when you're starting to see signs such as tracks, pads, wallows in your wet areas here like we're at today,
that's obviously giving you enough signs to undertake control.

But when you're starting to see damage in crop, you're almost looking at it too late. 

The horse has bolted, absolutely and it's like any pest management, you know, whether it's insect or vertebrate pests, you've got to, you got to know the numbers and you got to pounce on those numbers when they are low.

When we're talking about coordinated approach, not one control method would be working.

So you utilise many control methods?

Absolutely. It’s got to be an integrated approach where we're monitoring and then we’re utilising all control methods such as trapping, baiting and aerial control and across a broader area that's definitely make an impact on the pig numbers?

That's the key to get all the landholders in together. It's everyone's problem. At the moment, the property’s fallow, we don't have any crop in and the numbers are down. We're not seeing many pigs on this property at the moment.

They've all just moved on to the neighbours and the neighbours' neighbours. There's a lot of damage in sorghum crops in the district
at the moment and irrigated cotton. They've just moved into those crops over the last 3 weeks while it was hot and just living in underneath that canopy and causing a lot of damage.

And utilising your Local Land Services office to coordinate and get those baiting groups or pest control groups to undertake control.
That’s definitely a trigger for local landholders to take part and increase the effect? That's the key.

It needs to be a coordinated approach and we need that one person sort of coordinating it and the LLS is a great vehicle to support that.
So if you're facing a feral pig problem, make sure you talk to your Local Land Services staff members in the local region. Don't tackle the problem on your own. Coordinate effort, talk to local landholders and widen the effect of control options in that area, and you'll find that the problem isn't so big trying to face it on your own.