QDOG chair says funding crucial to success of new wild dog plan

The 2021-26 strategy, announced last week, was developed in consultation with stakeholders and aims to reduce the multi-million dollar impact of the pests on the economy, environment and social amenity.

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said it provided statewide coordination and direction to wild dog management, and focused on cooperative management to minimise the negative impacts of wild dogs.

"Stakeholders, including land managers, government and the community, will have a shared responsibility, working together to deliver effective, coordinated and humane management of wild dogs," he said.

"QDOG will now take responsibility for overseeing the strategy and priorities for Queensland, advising the government and reporting on the strategy's progress, which will be measured against key performance indicators."

One of its aims is to align with the national wild dog strategy and key points it could report on, which hadn't been possible under the previous state strategy.

QDOG chairman Rod Avery, also a councillor with the Balonne shire, said collecting data for this would be a big job.

"We want to get out into regional Queensland and promote our strategies now," he said.

"The collection of data over the next couple of years will be our main thing.

"We'll rely on council rural lands officers and wild dog syndicates in different ways, and we'll need ongoing funding to make it happen."

According to a DAF spokesman, funding has been made available through projects such as the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative, and projects funded align with the strategy.

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"Research is funded by stakeholders in the strategy in order to fill knowledge gaps in wild dog management," he said.

The new Queensland strategy was developed following an evaluation of the previous strategy by ACIL Allen Consulting in 2018, which identified and recommended improvements.

QDOG members reviewed the evaluation in 2019, after which a draft strategy was sent out for targeted consultation in early 2020.

According to QDOG member Dr John Robertson, representing DAF, the nil tenure approach to managing wild dogs, engaging all stakeholders, had been retained in the new strategy.

"Under this model, control methods are applied in a coordinated and cooperative manner across all land tenures by all stakeholders at a landscape scale rather than at a property level," he said.

Wild dogs are estimated to cause losses of $24.9 million to the cattle industry in Queensland, $16.9 million to the sheep and goat industries, $5.2 million associated with livestock disease management, and $19.9 million in associated management costs.

Cr Avery said some syndicates in the state had lost energy in the wake of exclusion fence construction, but people needed to realise wild dogs weren't going away.

"Fences are a great asset but the dogs will keep coming," he said. "Reinfestations will occur, it will be a constant battle."

He said the thinking in sectors of the community was that because they had spent so much money on putting up fences, they didn't have to spend any more.

"I think that's counter-productive," he said.

According to the DAF spokesman, exclusion fences are one of the tools promoted as best practice in the strategy.

Cr Avery said the first meeting of the new QDOG group would be taking place on November 23.

The 15-member group includes local government representatives Frank Beveridge, Tony Rayner and Michael McKellar, along with peri-urban council representative Robyn Moffatt as an observer.

AgForce representatives are Peter Lucas and Cathy White, with Brett Carlsson as an observer.

Des Moyland is the conservation representative and Marty McLaughlin represents the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Queensland Wild Dog Management Strategy 2021-2026 is available online.

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