Brad Thompson, The West AustralianJuly 26, 2013
Farmers and pastoralists on the front line in the battle with wild dogs and foxes have backed a push by Shooters and Fishers Party MP Rick Mazza for bounty hunters to control the problem.
Mr Mazza wants bounties of $100 on wild dogs and $20 on foxes to cut the huge toll they take on livestock and native animals.
The system would be in line with Victoria, which put a price on wild dogs and foxes in 2011.
A new study published in the Australian Veterinary Journal shows stock losses threaten wool and sheep meat production.
The Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre study found sheep could disappear from rangelands in 30 to 40 years because of wild dogs.
Mr Mazza said the State Government should make the bounty available to licensed shooters.
"Foxes and wild dogs are particularly vicious and prey on vulnerable livestock, lambs, calves, poultry and wildlife," he said.
"The Government can immediately reduce, not only the financial burden on farming communities, but also the distress of discovering mauled livestock and the remains of dead indigenous species."
He wants anyone who kills a dog or a fox - usually with a firearm - to redeem a bounty with the animal's scalp.
The Pastoralists and Graziers Association said WA producers lost livestock worth millions of dollars a year to wild dogs.
It called for the Federal Government to introduce a $200 bounty last year and its dog control spokesman Will Scott said attacks were at plague proportions.
WAFarmers president Dale Park said a bounty system had merit if managed carefully.
Victoria doubled its bounty on wild dogs from $50 to $100 this year. Under its system, more than 130,000 foxes and 430 wild dogs have been eradicated in less than two years.
Acting WA Agriculture Minister Bill Marmion said international experience showed bounties could encourage a "scalp-count" mentality, which put the focus on the number of kills rather than minimising the impact of dogs and foxes on livestock.
He said the Government preferred a strategic approach of baiting, trapping and shooting at community or regional levels.
The Government recently spent millions trying to control the problem. It reinforced WA's 112-year-old, 1170km barrier fence for $1.13 million, employed eight extra doggers and gave dollar-for-dollar funding to local biosecurity groups.
Mr Mazza's party emerged as a force in WA when he won a Legislative Council seat in March.
'Wild dog attacks on livestock are at plague proportions.'"PGA spokesman *Will Scott *
Mr Mazza wants bounties of $100 on wild dogs and $20 on foxes to cut the huge toll they take on livestock and native animals.
The system would be in line with Victoria, which put a price on wild dogs and foxes in 2011.
A new study published in the Australian Veterinary Journal shows stock losses threaten wool and sheep meat production.
The Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre study found sheep could disappear from rangelands in 30 to 40 years because of wild dogs.
Mr Mazza said the State Government should make the bounty available to licensed shooters.
"Foxes and wild dogs are particularly vicious and prey on vulnerable livestock, lambs, calves, poultry and wildlife," he said.
"The Government can immediately reduce, not only the financial burden on farming communities, but also the distress of discovering mauled livestock and the remains of dead indigenous species."
He wants anyone who kills a dog or a fox - usually with a firearm - to redeem a bounty with the animal's scalp.
The Pastoralists and Graziers Association said WA producers lost livestock worth millions of dollars a year to wild dogs.
It called for the Federal Government to introduce a $200 bounty last year and its dog control spokesman Will Scott said attacks were at plague proportions.
WAFarmers president Dale Park said a bounty system had merit if managed carefully.
Victoria doubled its bounty on wild dogs from $50 to $100 this year. Under its system, more than 130,000 foxes and 430 wild dogs have been eradicated in less than two years.
Acting WA Agriculture Minister Bill Marmion said international experience showed bounties could encourage a "scalp-count" mentality, which put the focus on the number of kills rather than minimising the impact of dogs and foxes on livestock.
He said the Government preferred a strategic approach of baiting, trapping and shooting at community or regional levels.
The Government recently spent millions trying to control the problem. It reinforced WA's 112-year-old, 1170km barrier fence for $1.13 million, employed eight extra doggers and gave dollar-for-dollar funding to local biosecurity groups.
Mr Mazza's party emerged as a force in WA when he won a Legislative Council seat in March.
'Wild dog attacks on livestock are at plague proportions.'"PGA spokesman *Will Scott *
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