Country Victorian communities are set to benefit from the creation of nearly 60 full time jobs over the next six months as part of an Agriculture Workforce Plan.
In a statement, the Minister for Agriculture, Jaclyn Symes said the new jobs would be in the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning (DELWP) and the Catchment Management Authorities (CMA).
“New team members will undertake a range of work, including improving local land health through revegetation and fencing of important environmental areas such as waterways, weed control, soil sampling and water quality monitoring on private and adjacent public land,” Ms Symes said.
“This work addresses concerns raised by many farmers by helping to control rabbits, wild dogs and other pests and weeds that affect soil health and crop productivity and kill livestock,” she said.
“New projects with DELWP will target critical action on pests.”
Ms Symes said the projects in Loddon Mallee and Grampians would support three teams to implement measures protecting public land, adjoining private land and farmland from invasive species such as weeds and rabbits.
“Two additional teams will help manage wild dog populations and their impact on livestock, including activities like baiting and trapping,” she said.
She said the new wild dog controllers would be supported with training and supervision to ensure their health and safety while implementing best practice wild dog management.
