In a major assault on feral deer in western NSW, the Minns Labor Government is targeting large swathes of private land and national park to proactively prevent the spread of the destructive pest.
In a joint effort, Local Land Services and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will undertake aerial culling across some 726,000 hectares of mostly flat, open terrain in Western NSW.
Western Local Land Services is currently delivering a targeted aerial shoot across private land in the Hillston-Euabalong area until 19 May, through the NSW Government's Good Neighbours Program.
This will be followed by a series of shoots delivered by the NPWS throughout May and June in the neighbouring Hunthawang, Nombinnie, Round Hill and Yathong national parks.
Western Local Land Services is working with about 60 private landholders to coordinate control efforts through the Good Neighbours Program, which aims to increase collaboration between public and private land managers to more effectively manage pests and weeds across the state.
Feral deer compete with livestock for pastures, trample vegetation, degrade water quality and pose a public safety risk on roads.
They are listed as a priority pest in the Western Regional Strategic Pest Animal Management Plan, with fallow deer being the most widespread species.
All land managers in NSW have a general biosecurity duty to manage pest animals on their properties, including feral deer.
Local Land Services provides advice and support to land managers to manage feral deer and helps facilitate landscape-scale coordinated control programs, such as the western NSW program.
Landholders are encouraged to participate in coordinated control programs and report feral deer activity to their local biosecurity officer or via FeralScan.
Visit the Local Land Services website for more information about the Good Neighbours Program.
Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe said:
"Deer are a feral pest that are destroying public and private land across NSW.
"These operations are about preserving our natural environment, improving safety for regional communities and protecting agricultural productivity."
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:
"The Minns Government is taking decisive, coordinated action to get on the front foot and stop feral deer from spreading further across western NSW.
"While there are fewer species of feral deer established in western NSW compared to other regions, that doesn't mean we can become complacent. In fact, it presents an ideal opportunity to work together to keep on top of feral deer populations and prevent the spread.
"That's why we're taking proactive steps now to bring together public and private land managers to bridge borders and set them up for success."
Information for media
NPWS West Branch has conducted more than 480 hours of aerial shooting so far this financial year.
This has removed just over 27,000 feral animals, including 22,000 goats and 4,000 pigs.
NPWS also uses ground baiting, mustering, ground shooting and trapping to remove feral animals.
