Gippsland East MP, Tim Bull, has said wild dog controls on public land are under threat, and urged everyone in rural communities to report not only wild dog stock kills, but also when they see or hear the animals.
“At a well-attended meeting in Heyfield last week, which I attended, there was no guarantee from government staffers that control measures would continue on public land in the east of the state post October, when a decision is to be made,” he said.
“This comes on the back of a recent decision to remove control measures on public land in the state’s northwest, but we are a very different scenario to the northwest.
“As the meeting heard, there’s a reticence to report stock kills and interactions due to the belief little will be done. This has led to some bureaucrats and MPs simply looking at the data from their offices in the city and drawing the conclusion it is not a major issue, but nothing could be further from the truth.
“This meeting alone heard of one farmer having recently lost 22 sheep in a short period, a mother saying she cannot let her children out to play due to the wild dogs regularly walking across her property, one farmer reporting having six dogs recently killed and estimating there is another eight to go.
“All this was in Heyfield alone, but we also have reports of major problems across the wider East Gippsland region.”
Mr Bull said with the future of this badly needed program to be considered in the coming months, it is important that both farmers and community members report not only kills, but sightings and howling.
“Locals know how big this problem is, but the metro-based department people will only go off the data, so we need to make sure they get the real picture,” Mr Bull Said.
“The best way to do this is as follows: Email: highrisk.invasiveanimals@agriculture.vic.gov.au and, when making a report, remember to include your name, contact phone number, number of animals you have found or spotted, date, time and location of the sighting, and any images. Or, alternatively, call the Agriculture Victoria Customer Service Centre 136 186.”
Mr Bull said he would be pleased to be included in any email reports to tim.bull@parliament.vic.gov.au.
“Traditionally the best doggers are getting around 50 a year and more than 500 annually as a combined total. When you consider this a miniscule part of the overall population and they’re having litters of 6-7 pups with a higher survival rate due to the increased amount of deer carcasses, it is clear we have a growing problem.
“It must also be remembered that doggers can only work in four per cent of the State Forest and National Park, but given they only trap on the roads and tracks within the 3km buffer zone adjacent to private land, it would be more like one percent four per cent of the bush they
operate in.
“My great concern is we have a city centric government that is broke and needs to save money, but they cannot cut out wild dog controls on public land as that would spell disaster for farmers.
“I raised this in Parliament in the last sitting week and while I await a response from the Minister, I pointed out how critical it is to maintain controls on public land.
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“When these killers get on to private land it is too late, and often the only opportunity doggers get to deal with these dogs is on tracks along the public land interface as it is impossible to trap on the open paddocks of private property.
“Good boundary fencing helps, but is not the solution as falling branches, wombats, sambar deer and other elements bring down these fences regularly, hence the ability to control dogs on public land needs to be retained,” Mr Bull said.
NORTH EAST FEARS
The possible abolition of the current Wild Dog Control Program in Victoria could have dire consequences for livestock producers.
The current Wild Dog Control Program, which includes the 3km Livestock Protection Buffer (LPB) zone, expires on October 1, 2024 with no guarantee of renewal.
The program is governed by an Order in Council, a set structure of legislated guidelines that allow Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) officers to humanely control wild dog populations within the LPB zone.
“The order was renewed last year for only 12 months, during which time farmers and other stakeholders were promised consultation and a count of the wild dog population across Victoria,” said Libbe Paton, North East Wild Dog Action Group.
“Neither of these promises have been upheld to date.
“Naturally, we are very concerned and fear the lack of support from our state government will see the program closed, possibly overnight and before the deadline, as happened in north west Victoria on March 15.
“This snap decision now protects dingoes on both public and private land, leaving sheep and cattle producers unable to protect their own livestock and being promised only $550,000 for the whole region to ‘invest’ in non-lethal methods of protection such as exclusion fencing and guard animals.
“Apart from the fact that this is a fraction of the money necessary, we know from experience these methods do not work.
“The program is under threat from dingo conservation groups which are making many claims that are incorrect including that the dingo is not a separate species but an ancient breed of domestic dog, listed as canis familiaris (domestic dog) by scientific bodies such as the Australian Faunal Directory.
“It should not be listed as an Australian native species as there is clear evidence it was brought here from Asia,” Ms Paton said.
“Earliest fossil remains are dated to about 3500 years ago. It contributed to the destruction of the alpha predator at the time, the thylacine and many native species since.
“Nor is there any evidence to support the theory that dingoes keep foxes and cats under control, as claimed by dingo conservationists.
“In Victoria, the dingo was listed as a threatened, protected species around 2012 under pressure from dingo conservationists. A recent study, claims that 87 per cent of all wild dogs in Victoria are pure bred dingo compared with previous data showing one to three percent were pure dingo. This study was based on only 62 dog samples of dubious origin in Victoria and was funded by the Dingo Conservation Foundation.
“This formed the basis for the Victorian government’s new policy of dingo protection.”
The North East Wild Dog Action Group, a committee of proactive livestock producers, has been attempting to contact the Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence and Minister for Environment and Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos, inviting them to visit the region. Minister Dimopoulos has not replied and Minister Spence cancelled her one-day visit at short notice and has not confirmed an offer to reschedule.
“We strongly encourage Minister Spence and Minister Dimopoulos to speak directly with the farmers who will bear the full impacts, both financially and mentally, if the current Wild Dog Control Program ceases,” Ms Paton said.
“We request that any data on wild dog populations in the Victorian high country and surrounding areas that has been collected since the order was created, be brought forward and placed on the table for discussion.
“We also highlight the very high environmental and biosecurity risks associated with the closure of the program and wild dogs becoming ‘protected’.
“We also recognise the flow-on effects to businesses, the wider industries and those who value by-products from our sheep industry. Hydatids and neosporosis should not be overlooked in the management of our sheep industry.
“In 2020-21, Victoria accounted for 47 per cent of Australia’s sheep meat production, making it the country’s largest sheep meat producer. The state’s sheep meat export was valued at $1.9 billion – representing 43 per cent of all meat exports – making it Australia’s highest sheep meat exporter.
“The United States is Victoria’s highest-value market for sheep meat export (valued at $598 million), followed by China ($206 million) and Malaysia ($165 million).
“We are asking all livestock producers, landholders and communities that hold the same opinions and fears as our group, to write to both ministers and encourage your networks to do the same.”
