Minister for Primary Industries The Honourable Tony Perrett
Crisafulli Government Takes Action Against Feral Pigs
The Crisafulli Government is delivering $2 million in new funding to help manage Queensland’s feral pig problem, easing the burden on regional communities.
After years of Labor neglect, feral pig populations have exploded across the Queensland causing severe damage to agriculture, the environment and waterways.
$1 million of the new investment will be spent on a Queensland Feral Pig Action plan developed with key stakeholders and designed specifically for different regions.
The other half of the funding will go towards developing new feral pig control methods over the next three years.
The announcement is additional to the Crisafulli Government’s $50 million investment over the next four years to beef-up biosecurity.
In 2023 Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) revealed feral pigs caused $95 million of production losses and direct control costs in Queensland.
Earlier this year, state-funded regional feral pig coordinators hit the ground in six Queensland regions, working alongside primary producers, local government and other stakeholders to reduce feral pig numbers, including the monitoring, baiting, trapping and shooting in targeted areas.
Minister Primary Industries Tony Perrett said feral pigs are a national problem and it’s going to take investment and innovative control methods to reduce feral pig numbers.
“We need to make a dent in feral pig populations, not only to protect primary production but to mitigate biosecurity risks,” Minister Perrett said.
“Feral pigs cost primary producers millions of dollars every year and the Crisafulli Government is focused on bringing their numbers under control.
“We know the only way to get on top of this growing problem is to have a coordinated plan with everyone from landholders to the Government working together.
“Whether you’re a grazier out west, a sugarcane farmer up north, a strawberry grower on the granite belt, a natural resource manager in the Wet Tropics, a traditional owner on the Cape, or part of a local, state, or Commonwealth government agency—your ideas, expertise, and action are essential.”
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/102296