Esperance farmers grapple with feral pig surge in WA's south-east

Over the last 12 months, Jack Carmody has spent $70,000 trying to curb a surge in the number of feral pigs on his property in Western Australia's south-east.

Warning: This article contains an image some readers might find distressing.

The Esperance farmer did not expect the expense, given the invasive species was not designated as a serious pest in the area until a few weeks ago.

Farmers and biosecurity experts say the feral pig population in the region is growing at an unprecedented rate.

"My greatest fear is to see the feral pig population and problem in the Esperance region become similar to other states and other regions of Western Australia," Mr Carmody said.

"Quite often they'll go by being unobserved or unrecognised, so the problem could be a lot worse than what it appears to be so far."

In the last 12 months, more than 450 pigs have been killed by a team working for the Carmody family.

Mr Carmody fears the pigs could become a major problem without a regionally coordinated programme and more government support.

"You need to go as hard and as fast as you can on any new populations of pigs because they can just wreak absolute havoc," he said.

Statewide problem

Wild pigs are already a concern elsewhere in WA.

Last year, on-ground shooters and pest controllers working from helicopters trapped, baited or shot 11,800 pigs across 550,000 hectares near Geraldton.

The pests also pose a problem for primary producers in the South West and Great Southern regions of the state.

Nationally, pigs are estimated to cause $156 million in damage to Australian agriculture each year.

At first, farmers in the south-east thought wild dogs were killing their livestock and eating their crops, until a pig was run over by a boom sprayer.

"They're omnivorous — they're not too fussy about what they eat. They will attack lambs and eat them," Mr Carmody said.

Farmers are using thermal drones and other high-tech devices to track and manage the pigs.

Small steps

The Esperance Biosecurity Association (EBA) added feral pigs to its charter in February.

That means farmers in the region can apply for permits to legally bait the animals with the toxin sodium fluoroacetate (1080).

Chairman Scott Pickering said the EBA would spend more on staff to help control the pigs.

But he said requests for emergency funding and support from the state government had gone unanswered.

Mr Pickering commended local farmers for trying to solve the problem by themselves.

"But it's got to the point now that it's something we've really got to go through the proper channels," he said.

"I mean, it's a big word to say eradicate, but we're going to be trying really hard."

More support needed

Landholders are concerned that the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is not dealing with the large number of feral pigs farmers say are living and breeding on land under government control.

They fear that an increase in the wild pig population could lead to illegal hunting activity in the region.

The DBCA spokesperson said as of late last year, it was unaware of any feral pigs in areas it managed that were of concern to the Esperance farmers, and that the department continued to work with the local community.

The Department of Primary Industries (DPIRD) said it was committed to supporting farmers in their efforts.

"Effective management requires coordinated control on a landscape scale, involving multiple landholders," a spokesperson said.

Feral pigs are declared pests under the statewide Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act.

Under the act, landholders are responsible for the control of declared pests on their lands.