NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has stepped in to scrap proposed changes to the management of wild dogs, which had farmers south of Canberra fearing for their livelihoods.
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NSW South East Local Land Services had proposed to withdraw its pest animal controllers from active trapping and baiting work, after 15 years providing those services in the region.
The state government agency wanted to transition the service back to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the private industry over the next six months, with the pest animal controllers' focus to shift to other areas including enforcement of the NSW Biosecurity Act.
About 90 concerned farmers met at Numeralla Hall on Friday morning to voice their concerns, while many also wrote to NSW government ministers, urging them to block the proposed changes from going ahead.
On Friday afternoon, Mr Barilaro intervened, blasting the proposed changes as unacceptable.
The Member for Monaro said Local Land Services would continue to employ its six animal pest controllers to trap wild dogs in south-east NSW, while funding had also been secured to create an additional trapping role and to employ a wild dog co-ordinator-general to oversee programs in the region.
“From here, Local Land Services will co-ordinate a 10-day destruction blitz in the south-east and adjoining regions during August to September," Mr Barilaro said.
"On a monthly basis, Local Land Services will report directly to the Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair and myself until we are confident things are working as they should."
Farmer Paul Scammell, who owns a property near Snowball, about halfway between Cooma and Braidwood, welcomed the announcement.
He said the proposed changes would have made farmers collateral damage by placing the onus on them to trap and control wild dogs that were breeding on public land, then entering private farms and attacking livestock.
"I think it would have had enormous ramifications for small animal production in the region," Mr Scammell said.
"I don't know where I, or any other farmer, would have found an experienced dog trapper.
"You're talking about adding thousands to the annual operating costs of every farmer. It's frightening."
He said wild dogs had been an issue for him since he introduced sheep to his property, having killed six of the ewes in his first flock, as well as all but one of their lambs.
Before that, wild dogs had chased his cattle, he said.
South East Local Land Services general manager Anthony Marshall admitted introducing a wild dog co-ordinator-general would serve the community better than the original proposal.
"We definitely did get that wrong," he said of the changes originally proposed.
"I think [John Barilaro's announcement] is a positive response.
"If we've got pest animal controllers from all three agencies [Local Land Services, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Corporation] working together, that has to be a good thing."
