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21h ago

Minns Endorses Reward Payments to Control NSW Feral Cats, Goats and Pigs

Conservationists warn that bounties are unlikely to suppress pest numbers without high annual kill rates

Premier Chris Minns has said all options are on the table for dealing with pest animals, including a potential bounty. Picture from file
Bounty-hunting feral animals, including pigs, could be coming soon to NSW. Photo: Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS
Robert Borsak, an MP who leads the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party in the New South Wales parliament, has introduced the bounty hunter bill

Overview

  • Premier Chris Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio that NSW must explore “novel ways” including reward payments for recreational shooters to curb feral goat, pig and cat populations in parks and farmland.
  • NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak has proposed a $2 million state-funded bounty scheme offering $10 to $20 per head of targeted feral animals.
  • NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said existing tools such as baiting, trapping and aerial culling are failing to protect crops and native vegetation from escalating feral pest damage.
  • Invasive Species Council chief executive Jack Gough described the bounty proposal as politically motivated and cited research indicating at least 57% of cat and 70% of pig populations must be culled annually to achieve control.
  • Victoria’s ongoing fox bounty program eliminated about 80,000 animals in 2022 but CSIRO best-practice advice cautions that reward schemes rarely deliver sustained population reduction without professional coordination.