Livestock
1 September, 2024
Farmer consultation on wild dog control to be ramped up, flags Premier
The government wants to hear from more farmers about wild dogs.
Premier Jacinta Allan has flagged that a new round of consultation with farmers in north-east Victoria on wild dog control is about to kick off.
Ms Allan said wild dog control in the state's north-east has become "more of an issue" and farmers needed to be listened to.
She was responding to questions from Australian Community Media on Friday, August 23 in Bendigo.
The Premier was asked if the wild dog unprotection order, covering the north-east of the state, should be extended beyond its current end date, October 1.
The order allowed for the control of wild dogs within a three kilometre 'livestock protection buffer zone' across the boundary from privately owned agricultural land into state-owned or public land.
Without the order, farmers would have to apply for a permit to control wild dogs in any instance, something they said would just not be feasible.
Farmers in the north-east have warned that any loosening of the regulations around wild dog control could decimate livestock production in the region, particularly that for sheep farmers.
"I'm not going to cut across a process because that would be unfair to the process," Ms Allan said, referring to the considerations of a working group reviewing the order.
Last month, Agriculture Minister Ros Spence rolled out an online survey of farmers to examine the extent of the wild dog issue across the state.
Ms Spence also travelled to and met with a group of north-east farmers within the last fortnight.
While as many as 550 farmers made submissions to the online survey, it is understood the government now wanted more insight.
Therefore, a new round of in-person farmer meetings or town halls will soon be held in the north-east with team members from Agriculture Victoria.
The exact details of the meetings were yet to be revealed but they will occur from the second week of September, approximately.
An online town hall meeting will also be held, for farmers unable to attend the in-person events.
"Farmers should be consulted with and that process is going to kick off very soon," Ms Allan said.
"Livestock predation is always there but in recent years for a range of factors, urban encroachment particularly, it has become more of an issue which is why there is some consultation about to kick off.
"I do know that it is an issue."
Ms Allan said she lived in a rural community and she knew farmers who were facing wild dog challenges.
"So, we'll make sure we'll extend that consultation advice," she said.