TRAPROCK country grazier Alan Forrest, Logancrail, Cement Mills, says rural Queensland needs every feral animal control tool it can get, if destructive pests are to be kept under control.
Reacting to the Queensland Government's announcement it was planning to ban the feral pig poison yellow phosphorus, Mr Forrest said a critical management tool was set to be removed just as feral animal numbers were increasing in response to excellent seasonal conditions.
"We are required by law to manage feral animals on our land," Mr Forrest said.
"How can we do that if the most effective methods are taken away from us, especially when pig and dogs numbers are exploding in this excellent season."
Agricultural Industry Development Minister Mark Furner said banning yellow phosphorous was one of the proposed changes to the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001.
However, stakeholders would be able to provide further feedback on the proposed amendments before changes to the act were made, he said.
"Even pig strength 1080 baits have previously been in the firing line so it is pretty obvious there is plenty of pressure on governments to stop the use of these products," Mr Forrest said.
"If we lose these control tools, we are back to shooting and trapping, and while both are very important, neither of those two methods have the capacity to effectively control feral pigs numbers."
Yellow phosphorus is marketed as CSSP, but it also known as SAP, and is considered to be particularly effective because it is highly palatable to pigs, easily distributed and considered relatively safe because it rapidly loses its potency if it becomes wet.
The other feral pig poison on the market is Hoggone, which uses sodium nitrite in low doses which kills pigs quickly, and is sold through rural supply stores.
Mr Forrest was one of the landholder participants in a 1080 baiting campaign coordinated by the Goondiwindi Regional Council for wild dogs and feral pigs in the Cement Mills district between Warwick and Inglewood.
This week's campaign also included members of the Cement Mills Cluster Fence Group, who are working to control pest animals within the exclusion area taking in 12 properties, as about 85,000 hectares of country.
Matt Bartlett, Dunblane, Yuraraba, said the Cement Mills exclusion fence was working well.
"We are certainly seeing less impact from wild dogs, which would have usually travelled into this country," Mr Bartlett said.
"Now the task is to remove the feral pigs and wild dogs from inside the protected area and keep them out."
Australia's sole CSSP manufacturer Iain Bucknell said the product was in constant demand from the grazing, farming and cane industries.
"It's certainly far more effective than other control methods for pigs including 1080, or shooting and trapping," Mr Bucknell said.
"How much is protecting Australia's cattle herd from foot and mouth worth in terms of animal welfare when tens of thousands of cattle will be shot if there is ever an outbreak."
CSSP is all considered to be very economical, costing about 60c/pig as a control agent.
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