Wild Dogs
Wild dogs
AgForce leads the way on empowering Queensland producers to manage wild dogs and reduce the economic impacts to their enterprises.
Over the past few years AgForce has played a major role in reinvigorating the issue of wild dogs at a State Government level.
After sustained lobbying by AgForce to the Queensland Government in 2008 to make wild dogs a priority issue, Premier Anna Bligh announced a review into wild dog mitigation to be chaired by past AgForce president Peter Kenny.
The Kenny Review made 22 recommendations, and the government has pledged to take action on 17 including the appointment of a wild dog coordinator inside the barrier fence and the formation of the Qld Wild Dog Offensive Group (QDOG).
Blueprint for the Bush
AgForce was also granted funding from the Blueprint for the Bush ‘Pest Offensive’ grants to conduct a three year project - regionalised incentives for coordinated dog control – which is an education and awareness program aimed at encouraging a coordinated approach to wild dog mitigation throughout the grazing industries.
Through the Blueprint for the Bush project AgForce hosted eleven successful field days around Queensland in 2009, educating landholders on the various methods of control.
Although there is no ‘silver bullet’ for controlling wild dogs, these field days showcased alternative methods rather than just baiting or trapping to demonstrate how every landholder can participate in the coordinated control of wild dogs.
These predator control days attracted more than 700 landholders at Isisford, Blackall, Hughenden, Quilpie, Charleville, Morven, Gympie, Warwick, Emerald, Ravenshoe and Cunnamulla.
Counting the cost
EBC Consultants were also employed to conduct focus groups around the state to record the social barriers that inhibited people from participating in wild dog control. From the interviews with the focus groups, a survey was developed that enabled a survey of producers to gauge the economic costs of wild dogs.
This e-survey aimed to establishi the cost of wild dogs on the Queensland grazing industry, and affected producers across the state responded. This data was compiled with data from processors and saleyards to gain an overall cost to the industry.
In September 2009, the analysis into Economic Costs of Wild Dogs was completed, which identified a cost to Queensland’s grazing industry of $67 million in 2008/09.
Want to know more?
Download the Major Economic costs associated with Wild Dogs report.