Feral pigs
Under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, pigs are declared for control and the Act includes separate declarations for domestic (farmed) and feral pigs. Feral pigs are pigs that are not held in captivity.
The impact of feral pigs on the Landscape is considerable, they eat native plants, pasture and crops, damage soils in wetlands, grasslands and forests, eat native animals and lambs, reduce water quality, damage fences and have significant potential to spread diseases and are also known to attract illegal hunters, on both private and public lands.
The prevention and early response to incursions of feral pigs is a cost-effective alternative to long term control of established feral pig populations.
Landscape Officers with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board work in close partnership with affected landholders to rapidly respond to feral pig outbreaks, eradicating through methods such as shooting, trapping and poisoning.
Once feral pig populations become established, they are expensive to eradicate and have substantial economic impacts to farmers and cause significant environmental destruction. Feral pigs have a rapid reproductive rate and so their populations can double or more in size each year.
In South Australia, domestic pigs must be identified and confined to ensure they are clearly differentiated from feral pigs.
All properties with 1 or more domestic pigs must be registered with PIRSA under a Property Identification Code (PIC) and be registered to have pigs on that PIC. Further information on pig farmer responsibilities for enclosure and identification requirements, can be found at www.pir.sa.gov.au in the pig section.
In South Australia, there are substantial penalties associated with the movement, sale, possession and release of pigs in to the landscape, with individuals receiving penalties of up to $125,000 or imprisonment for two years. Furthermore landholders are responsible for destroying feral pigs on their land under section 192(1) of the Act.
Any feral pig sightings must be reported by email to lclandscapeboardengage@sa.gov.au or to the nearest regional office on 08 8429 7550.
FoxScan is a free resource for landholders, Landcare groups, community groups, local Councils, professional pest controllers and biosecurity groups. It has been designed by landholders for communities.
What to record:
- Record fox sightings or evidence
- Photos from monitoring cameras
- Fox attacks (such as lamb or poultry predation)
- Control activities (e.g. baiting & trapping)
Visit Feral Pig Scan