Nerriga farmer John Rolfe.

NEW South Wales livestock farmers have taken up the call for government-to-government action on Victoria’s weakening wild dog controls.

NSW Farmers was this week unable to state whether it has made representations to the Minns State Government on Victoria’s proposed changing of ‘unprotection’ orders for wild dogs in eastern Victoria.

However, Sheep Central believes motions at next week’s NSW Farmers annual conference will address the issue.

Victoria’s Wildlife Act (1975) Order In Council effectively ‘unprotected’ dingoes on private land, and on public land within 3km of the private land boundaries to public lands, enabling baiting and trapping until 14 March, when the Victorian Government removed the order in north-west Victoria. On 1 October 2024 the government has said it will do the same in eastern Victoria, but is yet to release details pending a review of wild dog management in the region.

The Victorian changes in wild dog management have led to an escalation in wild dog/dingo attacks and concerns in South Australia of increasing dog encroachments into the state’s south-east sheep areas.

NSW Farmers this week said the Victorian Government’s lifting of the ‘unprotection’ order for dingoes in the north-west of the state put livestock at increasing risk of attack and rendered the animals a protected species, leaving farmers powerless to stop the predators from attacking and killing livestock.

NSW Farmers member and Nerriga sheep and cattle farmer John Rolfe this week said as the Victorian government prepares to expand this ‘unprotection order’ to the south-east of the state in October, the Minns Government must act swiftly to minimise the impact of the changes on livestock producers in NSW.

“Scientists and governments can play around with the classification of wild dogs and dingoes and what should be protected, but the reality is they both kill lambs and calves – so both need to be controlled,” he said.

“Wild dogs and dingoes don’t read lines on a map, so the actions of the Victorian Government will no doubt ensure wild dogs and dingoes will leak like a sieve across the state and into NSW.

“These animals viciously attack and kill calves, lambs, goat kids and even larger livestock such as ewes – so we simply cannot stand by and watch the population of these predators explode.”

As farmers continue to monitor for wild dog and dingo attacks across the states, Mr Rolfe said a practical, considered pest control strategy was critical to ensure NSW’s livestock industry could be protected from the effects of wild dogs and dingoes.

“Keeping control orders for wild dogs and dingoes in place across NSW should be the bare minimum when it comes to keeping our goats, sheep and cattle safe from attack,” he said.

“Now the Victorian Government has let the side down and unleashed these predators, the NSW Government must prepare to do everything in its power to protect our livestock industry from the effects of these senseless decisions.

“Coordination and funding to ramp up baiting, exclusion fencing and other measures to control wild dogs and dingoes must be tabled by the government and fast if we want to get ahead of the problem – or else it will take nothing short of a miracle to get on top of these pests,” Mr Rolfe said.