Hunting’s exclusion from ‘best practice’ pig control puts brakes on programs

Hunter Janae Winzar with a pair of feral pigs. Image: supplied

By Krista Schade

Key findings from the 2024 Great Australian Pig Hunt survey

Estimated feral pigs killed: 5,387,412

Estimated economic input by pig hunters: $326,882,615

Estimated cost per pig to hunters: $60.67

Estimated average pig yield per month: 15.61

Source: APDHA survey of hunters between January 1 to December 31, 2024

The top-down approach to NSW feral pig management needs to be reversed if there is to be any hope of real progress in managing NSW worst agricultural pest, according to the Australian Pig Doggers and Hunters Association (APDHA).

National President Ned Makim said the relegation of landholders and hunters to commentators in the feral pig debate betrayed an ideological blockade that needed to be addressed if there was to be any hope of making progress.

“There is this endless head scratching going on about what to do about feral pigs but whenever a change of focus is suggested, we hear the same old ‘not best practice’ dismissal which flies in the face of the evidence.”

Mr Makim’s comments came with the release of the final report on the APDHA’s Great Australian Pig Hunt data collection exercise which suggests hunters killed 1.69 million pigs in NSW in 2024 from a national total of 5.38 million Australia wide.

“Even if those estimates are divided in half, it still represents a massive reduction in pig numbers let alone their breeding potential and yet, hunting is still dismissed by the shot callers in the feral pig debate.

“The issue as we see it is twofold: A feral pig management narrative that holds tight to the myth that hunting achieves nothing and belief that government agencies should be the starting point for all control planning.

“We believe that’s upside down.”

Mr Makim said the people with the most to lose from feral pigs in NSW were farmers, the people who know the most about feral pigs and their behaviour were hunters and the people with the resources to carry out very focused control measures were Local Lands Services staff.

“Why isn’t NSW Farmers, for instance, the agency that drives this machine?

“Why wouldn’t the NSW farming community be given the authority to say this is the issue in this space at this time.

“Hunters can offer advice and be involved in programs aimed at ongoing population suppression and LLS can bring millions of dollars to bear on targeted programs with the advice and guidance of the farming community.”

Mr Makim said his comments should not be seen as a criticism of the LLS and its capabilities but a suggestion on the better deployment of those capabilities.

“It’s time this debate was had and that many of the assumptions on feral pig management challenged.

“Pigs outbreed our current level of adaptive planning. The model just isn’t working and the skills and potential of many in the public and private sector are being underused.”

Mr Makim said exclusion of hunting from “best practice models” looked odd when the numbers of pigs killed by hunters were considered.

“It starts to look like an ideological thing rather than a management model.

“We understand the need for some sort of central co-ordination and we understand concerns about the welfare of the animals considered pests but those things can be managed better by involving the relevant parties and giving them a genuine voice.

“The only mention of anything that sounds close to hunting is in relation to ‘ground shooting’ and the context is of that method as a clean-up, presumably after baiting, chopper shoots, trapping etc.

“If you want to use a dog it must only ‘flush’ a pig to be shot.

“We understand that some people don’t like dogs making contact with the pigs but the ‘flush’ limitation betrays a lack of understanding (based on a lack of consultation) on the use of dogs.

“We have asked for the word ‘bail’ to be added to best practice. That is the action in which a dog locates a pig and barks or stares at the pig to keep it contained so it can be shot.

“This is demonstrably a much better welfare outcome for the pig because the shot is taken at a still target.

“So far all we have heard is crickets.

“That one small change would open the door to greater, co-ordinated and managed hunter involvement in formal control programs and a great deal more dead pigs.

“Why the delay?

“We need much faster movement on feral pig management issues and change to who is calling the shots.”