The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Northern Tablelands Local Land Services have joined with the Forestry Corporation of NSW and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to launch the biggest-ever Spring aerial baiting program against wild dogs and foxes in northern NSW.
The Minister for Agriculture and MP for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall has overseen the beginning of the baiting operation which is to cover more than 500,000 hectares of land and almost 480 private land holdings across the northern part of the State.
Mr Marshall said wild dogs and foxes were a plague on farming operations, especially now as conditions improve following the drought but the large-scale aerial distribution of fresh meat baits injected with 1080 was expected to help tackle the destructive problem.
“Never before have we used more baits and longer bait lines in a single Spring operation in this State,” Mr Marshall said.
“Wild dogs cause more than $22 million in damages and lost production in NSW annually, but this program will help mitigate those effects … from Niangala to the Queensland border.
“The NSW Government is united with landholders on the road to drought recovery, and the last thing they need to worry about is predators preying on spring lambs and calves.”
Mr Marshall said the 480 private land holdings are to be strategically baited across 39 Wild Dog Control Associations.
“In May we ran the largest aerial baiting program anywhere in the southern hemisphere, and while this one isn’t quite as big it will actually cover about 40 more private land holdings,” Mr Marshall said.
“The aim now is to remove survivors of the autumn baiting program, reduce the impacts of wild dog and fox populations on the Northern Tablelands, and allow vulnerable wildlife to repopulate following devastating bushfires.
NSW DPI and the University of New England are to monitor the control zone to record predator numbers before and after the operation, with the data to be used to inform farmers and landholders of strategic pest management decisions.
