For years, farmers and feral animal experts have been asking the same thing: why spend time and money controlling feral deer or pigs if the property next door does nothing?
They’re right.
Feral animals don’t recognise property boundaries and they don’t take a night off. They move freely between farms, hobby blocks, state forests and crown land. If even a handful of landholders opt out, deer, goats or pigs simply breed in those refuges before spreading back across the landscape.
This is one of the biggest obstacles to getting on top of feral animals in Australia.
The NSW government’s decision to finally use its powers to require public and private landholders in the Walgett region to participate in coordinated feral pig eradication is an important step towards fixing that problem.
For the first time since the Biosecurity Act was introduced in 2015, New South Wales is using the legislation as Parliament intended. It recognises that biosecurity only works when everyone does their part.
Overwhelmingly, national parks and farmers do the right thing. They invest in controlling feral deer and pigs because they know the damage they cause. Pigs destroy crops, tear up pasture, erode riverbanks and spread disease. Deer trash, trample and pollute our bush and streams.
But efforts to control them are undone when neighbouring properties become safe havens. Whether it’s absentee landholders, poorly managed Crown land or the small minority who want to preserve feral animals for recreational hunting, the result is the same: feral deer and pigs keep breeding and spreading.
That’s why coordination matters.
We’ve already seen this approach work in South Australia, where they have halved the deer population in 5 years. When governments combine practical support with clear legal responsibilities and coordinated action, eradication becomes a realistic goal.
New South Wales is finally embracing that lesson.
There are, of course, some people surprised about the scale of the maximum $220,000 fine for non-participation. But experience in other states is that this big stick is rarely, if ever, actually needed. Most people comply once expectations are clear.
Good biosecurity depends on long-term investment, science-backed solutions and everyone doing their part. This requires education, coordination and clear expectations.
However, when a small number of landholders refuse to participate, they undermine everyone else’s efforts. These powers make it clear that everyone – including government land managers – must be part of coordinated control programs.
And if the government and community come together to get this right, we will see fewer feral animals destroying crops, cleaner waterways, healthier country and lower costs for rural communities.
Invasives Species Council CEO Jack Gough
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