THE Tatiara District Council has expressed concerns regarding the Victorian State Government’s decision to stop wild dog control northwest of Victoria.
The dingo unprotection order originally declared dingos to be unprotected wildlife on all private land as well as public land within 3km of a private property.
The order allowed farmers and landowners to undertake preventative control of wild dingos to protect the livestock industry.
The decision, which came into effect on March 14, 2024, voted to end the dingo unprotection order which members of the Tatiara District Council said could have a severe impact on nearby livestock farms and the industry itself.
The council wrote a letter addressed to South Australian Minister for Primary Industries Clare Scriven discussing their fears for the state’s industry.
In her response letter, Ms Scriven shared the council’s concerns and said she would continue to represent the Tatiara District Council’s livestock producers while discussing the issue with the Victorian Government.
“I share your concerns about the decision and the increased risks it poses to producers of the Tatiara District Council and other border regions and communities of South Australia,” Ms Scriven said in the letter.
“Staff of the South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) will continue to support the activities of the landscape boards, including through workshops to train landholders to detect and control wild dogs, as well as through the professional trapper program and in the supply of baits for large, coordinated aerial baiting programs.”
Ms Scriven said recommendations from the Box Flat Wild Dog Coordinating Committee’s (BFWDCC) recent meeting would be presented to landscape boards of the Limestone Coast, the Riverland and the Murraylands to prepare for the predicted spike of wild dog sightings.
