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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-17 Daily Xml
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Feral Pigs

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (14:53): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister update the council on the state government's efforts to eradicate feral pigs from Kangaroo Island?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for his question—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —and his interest in Kangaroo Island. I am delighted to update the council on the state government's progress to eradicate the feral pigs from Kangaroo Island. I am advised that there are currently fewer than 100 feral pigs—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Leader!

An honourable member: Me?

The PRESIDENT: Yes, you. Bad habits.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —remaining on the island. Since the program started in October 2020, as I am happy to acknowledge, 839 feral pigs have been destroyed and total eradication is expected to be achieved by 2023, which will of course assist in protecting the island's important ecosystem and agricultural industries from the impacts of feral pigs.

Back in April, officers completed a cull which destroyed, I am advised, 25 pigs and this was the third of five planned culls using high-grade thermal cameras to identify feral pigs in inaccessible terrain around rivers, creeks and dams. Once they are identified, they are destroyed swiftly and humanely by expert, trained marksmen or markswomen.

This program to rid Kangaroo Island of its feral pigs was the first in Australia to use thermal technology in aerial culling for control of pest animals. We know that there are many feral pests on Kangaroo Island and as a state government we are committed to ensuring that we take these threats seriously and fund the eradication efforts that are needed. Feral pigs can cost primary producers on Kangaroo Island up to $1 million a year, and of course Kangaroo Island retains a pristine natural environment. These are just two of the reasons why we must take pest threats very seriously.

The aerial culls are used in conjunction with other high-tech control methods, including artificially intelligent camera tracks. The motion-activated cameras take photos which are automatically scanned for feral pigs and, if they are detected, an alert is sent to ground staff who can respond in real time to get near to the pig and destroy it. This technology is extremely advanced and has proven to be highly successful. Two more aerial culls are planned, with the next from July to September this year and the final cull due in autumn 2023 which is expected to completely eradicate feral pigs from the island.

We are committed to ensuring that the pristine area of Kangaroo Island and its local ecosystem is protected from feral pests, including feral pigs, and I am delighted that the island is set to be pig free by next year. I am also delighted that we have a bipartisan approach on important matters such as biosecurity, eradication of pests, and I look forward to this continuing into the future.

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