Aerial shooters are being engaged to reduce feral pig numbers in flood-ravaged north-west Queensland, backed by the Federal and Queensland Governments.
The initiative is part of a $11.32 million Primary Producer Support Package announced under joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) in response to the North Queensland Monsoon Trough and ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji.
Feral pigs carry disease and damage waterways and the environment. They also prey on livestock. While the floodwaters are high, feral pigs are trapped on higher ground or are slow moving through boggy terrain, presenting ideal conditions for aerial control activity.
The Queensland Department of Primary Industries is well progressed in its response plan to enable targeted control activities of predator pests in affected areas of the Gulf of Carpentaria centred on the Flinders and Gilbert River catchment areas.
Queensland Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said that it was important to take this opportunity because after floodwaters recede and the ground dries out, the resources and conditions are optimal for significant growth in feral pig populations.
“These conditions are very good for experienced contractors to work with landholders to identify these mobs of feral pigs, which group together in these conditions, Minister Perrett said.
“It’s an opportunity to significantly reduce the population density and prevent an explosion in numbers later, which could have a devastating impact on our environment and on stock numbers.
“The Crisafulli Government takes the management of invasive species like feral pigs very seriously. In addition to 100 additional biosecurity officers over this term of government, we’re also backing on-ground control with $2.2 million for regional coordinators plus $2 million in targeted grants and action plans to help producers tackle this issue.”
The department is also working with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to coordinate the response across protected areas.
In 2023, the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) put the cost of feral pigs to the national economy at $156 million annually; $95 million of this was production losses and direct control costs in Queensland.
