Absentee landowners hinder feral pest control, Australian farmers say

Farmer Derek Larsen, working his property in Capertee on the New South Wales Central Tablelands, faces a constant battle against feral animals. While he diligently sets traps and devises control plans, Larsen points to a significant challenge: absentee landowners who fail to contribute to pest management.

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It becomes a more difficult process … a bigger challenge.

"It becomes a more difficult process … a bigger challenge," Larsen stated, referring to the impact of landowners who do not live on their properties full-time. He noted that many of these individuals "have never ever heard of the NSW Biosecurity Act," which outlines their obligations. A 2023 University of Wollongong study estimated that between 22 and 45 percent of Australian landowners are absentee, encompassing large corporations, land leasers, and 'tree changers.'

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They're wonderful people, they're great neighbours, but a lot of them have never ever heard of the NSW Biosecurity Act … there are obligations under that act.

Under the NSW Biosecurity Act, all landowners, occupiers, or managers have a general duty to prevent the introduction and spread of pests and diseases. The state's Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development emphasizes that this responsibility includes participating in pest control programs, collaborating with neighbors, and monitoring for pest activity. Larsen highlighted the significant time and labor involved in pest control, including setting traps, feeding them overnight, reloading, and disposing of animals, in addition to the disease implications, such as foot-and-mouth disease, which could devastate cattle herds.

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It takes a lot of time to set up traps, feed overnight, go back and reload it, come back, then destroy and dispose of the pigs.

Vertebrate pests inflict nearly $1 billion in damages annually to Australian farmers, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). This includes livestock losses to foxes and wild dogs, reduced crop yields from pig damage, and the costs associated with baits, traps, and cameras. While Local Land Services offers assistance with feed and trap costs, the personal investment of time and effort remains a substantial burden for farmers like Larsen, who has successfully trapped over 30 feral pigs in a single night.

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[Feral pests] have a massive disease implication. If we were to get foot and mouth [disease] in this part of the world or brucellosis, all things that pigs can spread, if we get those diseases, it will wipe out our cattle herds.