Local landholders report feral pigs are out of control

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Bob said they have been rooting up the ground, in particular in the water drains, and wrecking fences.

Sarah Johnson at Gilgunnia Station, 40km north of Cobar said 12 months ago it was very hard to catch a pig.

“Now we’re seeing mobs of 20-40 pigs in the crops. It’s not a big crop, but they’ve laid about 20 per cent of it down,” Sarah said.

“We’ve had them swimming in our stock feed troughs making them muddy and also breaking them. They’ve been damaging our spear traps for goats also.”

Landholders have reported them coming in closer to their homes, with one reporting them rooting under their clothesline.

Sarah said they recently caught a big boar near their house.

“I think the best help we could receive is help with some pig traps. Poison is too dangerous for working dogs,” she said.

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said there are millions of feral pigs breeding and rampaging across the countryside, thriving after years of high rainfall, attacking native animals and livestock, and causing massive damage to crops and infrastructure. of control now, and we need a drastic and sustained increase in resources for everyone involved to get on top of the problem once and for all.”

“The past three years have been a boom time for pigs,” Mr Martin said.

“A lack of effective control on public lands is undermining our collective efforts,” Xavier Martin, NSW Farmers president

“While government control efforts had made a slight dent in the overall number of pigs in certain areas, there were too many reports of a booming breeding population to ignore.

“From what we’re hearing members tell us they’ve never seen pigs this bad before,” he said.

“Aerial shooting over the past year saw 80 per cent more pigs culled than the year before, and authorities have distributed 74 tonnes of baits to landholders, but the numbers continue to grow, particularly on public land.

“It’s clear the pig numbers are growing out

According to Local Land Services, more than 63,000 feral pigs had been culled as part of coordinated aerial and on-ground shooting and baiting in the past 12 months. Mr Martin said anecdotal reports from farmers meant the actual numbers were likely far higher.

He said there were serious concerns about what would happen after June 30, when the State Government’s additional pig control funding ended.

“Trying to keep the pig numbers down farmby-farm is a bit like trying to put out half a fire – if you’re not tackling the whole problem methodically, it’ll just keep coming back,” Mr Martin said.

“A lack of effective control on public lands is undermining our collective efforts, and we know that’s where the pigs are breeding because we see them coming onto our farms from public lands.

“We need more resources and a solid commitment from all parties involved to tackle feral pigs so we can get on top of them and stay on top of them.”

Pool contract won’t be tendered out

Cobar Shire Councillors have opted not to call for tenders for the management of the Cobar Memorial Swimming Pool but rather to extend the existing contract.

Council’s director of finance and community services, Kym Miller proposed the extension to Councillors at last week’s Ordinary Council Meeting.

Mr Miller said there was the likelihood of three major construction projects being undertaken over the next two seasons which have the potential to cause disruptions over the next two years.

The projects include repairing of the wall at the ‘deep end’ of the 50m pool, making the plant room compliant (as reported to Council’s May Ordinary Meeting) and the development of the overall site as per the Master Plan (depending on funding availability).

“Whilst the intention would be to undertake these projects either independently or concurrently between seasons, it is highly likely that they will require some of the time normally considered pool season,” Mr Miller said.

He said a new contractor could be much more difficult to negotiate variations with than the existing contractor.

Councillors voted to extend the existing contract with the L&R Group.