LANDOWNERS have welcomed a series of consultation sessions with Agriculture Victoria as part of their review into wild dog management.
Industry body National Wild Dog Action Plan said despite the short timeframe, the consultation sessions were long-awaited by industry, which had been calling for opportunities to share their thoughts with the Victorian Government on the importance of wild dog control measures.
Chair Geoff Power said the consultation sessions were a step in the right direction, but there was concern on how late they had come in the review process.
“We appreciate that the Victorian Government have held these drop-in consultation sessions and online webinar to ensure landowners had the chance to share their views on how Victoria could achieve a balance between dingo conservation and predation management,” Mr Power said.
“However, with the dingo unprotection order due to expire on October 1, producers and industry bodies are naturally worried that this landowner consultation is long overdue.
“We hope that feedback from these sessions, and the findings from the Victorian Government’s livestock predation survey, are taken into consideration when deciding on the future policy settings for wild dog control beyond October 1.”
Mr Power said for livestock producers in Victoria, the past year had been a period of waiting with “bated breath” to see where the government’s wild dog control review landed, particularly after the dingo unprotection order came to an immediate end in north west Victoria in March.
“Producers in Victoria are understandably worried about the future of livestock production if wild dog control measures are rolled back,” Mr Power said.
“These concerns extend beyond borders, with decisions made within Victoria impacting on other states with evidence of increased predation in South Australia.
“Wild dog attacks have a significant economic and emotional impact on producers, and without control measures, the state’s $4.5 billion sheep and wool industry will be at risk.”
Mr Power said it wasn’t about eradication of dingoes, rather control.
“The current dingo unprotection order does this, providing a balance between wild dog control and dingo conservation,” he said.
“Without it, we are likely going to see significant spread of wild dogs, with serious consequences for livestock production and biodiversity.”
