AgForce’s Queensland Wild Dog coordinator Brett Carlsson says lack of landholder participation is still a major hindrance to local programs, but on a regional scale, coordination and effectiveness has improved greatly.
Mr Carlsson, who is spearheading the campaign – through funding from Australian Wool Innovation – works with producers through central and south western Queensland due to the impact dogs are having on the declining sheep and wool industry and the cattle industry.
His role involves working with landholders to facilitate the establishment of local landholder led wild dog committees, developing strategies and management plans for wild dog groups and strategically assisting landholders by mapping wild dog movements.
“I also facilitate the drafting of the annual coordinated aerial baiting calendar that involves 14 local government,” Mr Carlsson said.
“I directly work with eight central west shires, which all have an active local, landholder-led wild dog committee and participate in regional coordinated baiting campaigns with six south western shires,” he said.
He said the coordination efforts in those regions has improved greatly in the past four years, but the biggest problem is still the lack of participation by landholders in controlling the pest.
“Gaps in control programs allows those who put in the effort, to be reinfested shortly after by dogs coming from neighbouring areas that don’t participate in control.”
He said for effective management to occur all landholders need to engage in control by baiting, trapping, and shooting in a strategic, targeted manner as often as possible to reduce the impacts on their livestock.
Mr Carlsson said he doesn’t support council-funded scalp fees due to the implications it has on carrying out more effective, strategic broadscale control programs and because of the financial implications for local governments.
“High-paying bounties unfortunately turn a pest into a resource. Therefore some will refrain from participating in our coordinated broadscale control programs to allow the pest to exist.”
