SHEEP and wool production areas in regional Queensland have benefited from the bulk of State Government funding to assist with wild dogs, with very little allocated to problem areas in the North.
Over the last two years, the Queensland Government has $12.74 million in grants to contruct wild dog exclusion fences, or cluster fences, and to control weeds and other pest animals. The Federal Government has contributed another $12 million.
A Biosecurity Queensland spokesperson said the majority of the funding had been used to construct cluster fencing, in drought affected, sheep and wool producing areas.
An additional $800,000 has been provided for other wild dog control programs in areas with high wild dog density and/or evidence of high impacts.
These programs include aerial baiting programs, on-ground baiting programs, trapping programs, funding for additional wild dog trappers and funding for wild dog coordinators to encourage landholder participation in control programs.
The spokesperson said the projects have benefited landholders in Southern Downs, Quilpie, Balonne, Western Downs, Barcaldine, Barcoo, Blackall-Tambo, Boulia, Diamantina, Longreach and Winton local government areas.
But there are calls for more to be done in the North, with Victoria Downs Station owner Michael Knuth, based 70km south of Charters Towers calling for a state-wide bounty to be introduced to encourage more trappers.
Hill MP Shane Knuth has also called for more to be done, saying the issue was costing Queensland more than $22m a year.
