WA Wild Dog Alliance interim Committee named

WAFarmers has welcomed the announcement of the WA Wild Dog Alliance interim Committee Members, which includes WAFarmers Livestock Council representative Scott Pickering.

Mr Pickering, who also holds the role of the WAFarmers representative on the National Wild Dog Consultative Committee, will work alongside seven other interim committee members to make long-term arrangements towards the eradication of wild dogs in Western Australia.

WAFarmers Livestock Section Executive Officer Kim Haywood, who has contributed significantly towards the WA Wild Dog Action Plan 2016-2021, said WAFarmers looked forward to working with the interim committee and advising as to how the funding could be used to best effect.

“In November, the State Government committed nearly $20 million towards the implementation of the WA Wild Dog Action Plan 2016-2021 through Royalties for Regions,” Ms Haywood said.

“With this comes a great responsibility to use the funding wisely, and WAFarmers believe the balance of the funding must be directed towards direct action on the ground to eradicate wild dogs throughout Western Australia.

“We have a small amount of funding to do a huge job, so we want to ensure the funding from the State Government is smartly allocated.”

Ms Haywood said WAFarmers supported priority being given to the upkeep of the State Barrier Fence as well as the building of the Esperance extension.

Key actions to support wild dog management under the WA Wild Dog Action Plan 2016-2021 include, but are not limited to:

  • Establish the WA Wild Dog Alliance to provide integration and alignment of the WA Biosecurity Groups and the National Wild Dog Action Plan.
  • Invest in efficient management of Biosecurity Groups to ensure coordinated and cost-effective wild dog management in each region.
  • Repair and replace 405 kilometres of the existing State Barrier Fence with shared funding from Federal and State Governments.
  • Commit to a handover for maintaining the integrity of the State Barrier Fence by investing in maintenance for the next three years while the Wild Dog Alliance determines options for assuming full responsibility.
  • Additional funding to support identified gaps in research and development including surveillance technology.

ENDS.

All media requests must be directed to WAFarmers Media and Communications Officer Melanie Dunn on (08) 9486 2100 or [email protected].

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