Fed up farmers are asking for more action in enforcing the Biosecurity Act, with weeds alone costing the economy $1.8 billion every year.
According to the State of the Environment report, weeds cost the NSW economy $1.8 billion each year in lost agricultural production and management costs, with the spread of emerging invasive species getting worse.
Craig Mitchell from the NSW Farmers Conservation & Resource Management Committee said weeds were a persistent problem while wild dogs, deer and pigs were each destructive forces in their own way, each requiring a coordinated management approach.
"As farmers we do our bit spraying weeds and building fences to keep wild animals out, but it's really tough to swallow when you're neighbouring public land and the pests keep coming from there," Mr Mitchell said.
"We had one bloke up in the northern rivers reported animals attacked by wild dogs that were breeding in the nearby state forests, and you call up and report the problem but it just keeps getting worse.
"Some areas are better than others, obviously, and I think we all need to knuckle down and get on top of the numbers otherwise we'll have more attacks."
With a review of the Biosecurity Act 2015 due sometime this year, Mr Mitchell said NSW Farmers would be repeating calls for landholders to be allowed to control pests and weeds on neighbouring public lands, while lobbying for increased compliance action on landholders who make no effort.
"Farming is a tough enough business without having to worry about losing livestock to dogs from state forests or spending your hard-earned on spraying weeds that blow in from neighbours," Mr Mitchell said.
"If you're responsible for a piece of land then you need to take that responsibility seriously, I think, the way farmers do.
"Dogs and pigs and weeds don't understand fences but we do, and we need to take care of what's on our side both for ourselves and for our neighbours."
