Image credit: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/
Australia’s new blueprint for humane, best practice wild dog management officially took effect from 1 July.
Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud praised the way government and industry stakeholders collaborated on the new National Wild Dog Action Plan.
“Wild dogs are terribly destructive pests, costing farmers conservatively upwards of $89 million a year in lost production and control costs,” David said. “They can decimate livestock, tearing down sheep and goats at will, and in doing so, can hurt rural and regional economies because of the destruction they wreak and anxiety they cause.”
Having a clear, coordinated and borderless national plan to guide farmers and other stakeholders on the best strategies and safest tools for livestock and biodiversity protection is critical for rural and regional communities as they recover from COVID-19, bushfires and drought.
David applauded the way producers, peak farming bodies, governments and research and development corporations came together to ensure control measures are evidence-based and best practice. “Wild dog management is an Australian Government priority, with over $54 million invested in wild dog management since 2014-15, including recent wild dog fencing commitments in South Australia and Western Australia,” he said.
“The National Wild Dog Action Plan has already proved an exemplar in the way we should be approaching Australian predator management.”
The National Biosecurity Committee endorsed the National Wild Dog Action Plan 2020-2030 as the national plan for the co-ordinated management of wild dogs on 11 March 2020.