South Australia has strong biosecurity laws, with robust measures in place to protect our primary industries and natural environments from the threat of feral animals.
The Government of South Australia is committed to helping reduce numbers of feral animals and disease transmission by them, around the state, through several high-profile programs.
The ground-breaking $5.5 million Kangaroo Island Feral Pig Eradication Project has culled 859 pigs on the island, with fewer than 100 estimated to remain.
This was the first program in Australia to use military grade thermal technology in the control of pest animals and as a result, the island is expected to be free of feral pigs by the middle of 2023.
At least $4 million will be spent on feral deer control programs over the next four years. The State Government and landscape boards are providing $2 million, with the Australian Government committing $2 million.
Priority regions for deer control measures are the Limestone Coast and Hills and Fleurieu regions, where the State Government and the landscape boards are partnering to deliver these pest control programs of unprecedented scale and impact.
In the pastoral rangelands of South Australia, our landscape boards and State Government are also working collaboratively to reduce the numbers of feral goats and feral pigs. These programs operate across pastoral stations and National Parks and involve extensive mustering of feral goats by pastoralists, as well as aerial culling of both feral pigs and goats.
All South Australian landholders have a legal responsibility to control feral animals that are declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, that occur on their land. If people want to have animals like deer and pigs on their land, they need to farm them professionally.