AN influx of feral pigs found on farming land in the South West has left farmers worried their land and livestock are at risk.
A local farmer, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, believed the increase in numbers was due to cut-backs on funding and resources in the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) preventing local groups from managing the species.
"My land has been trampled, grazed and destroyed by feral pigs," the farmer said.
"I'm concerned the issue is growing out of control because nobody is stepping up to do anything about it."
"We have a huge feral pig problem on our farms.
"When you let this problem build up you get a criminal activity where the animal is used in a highly aggressive form of hunting known as pig-dogging."
According to the farmer, pig-dogging has turned into a blood sport not just on their land.
He said intruders were cutting down fences and chasing the pigs over farming land throughout the region.
Farmers were not the only group concerned about the growing number of feral pigs in the South West.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) WA president Lynne Bradshaw said she had evidence the pigs were in the South West and other national parks throughout Australia because "the hunters put them there so they can breed up and hunt them with guns and dogs".
"It's actually illegal what the hunters are doing and we don't want to turn a blind eye just because they are feral pigs," Ms Bradshaw said.
"We need to do a quick cull to reduce the numbers and manage it with the support of relevant authorities and partnerships with government industries."
A spokesperson for the Department of Parks and Wildlife said the population of feral pigs within the City of Busselton area was believed to be transient with larger numbers occurring further east and south of Busselton.
“We are conducting an ongoing monitoring program for land throughout the Blackwood District, including the Busselton area,” they said.
“While the detection of feral pigs fluctuates and local areas may experience more feral pig activity in certain seasons, data collected in the last seven years does not indicate any significant regional trend.”
A spokesperson from DAFWA said the South West Catchments Council received funding through the State Natural Resource Management Program to support the South West Integrated Feral Pig Eradication project (SWIPE).
"Under the SWIPE project four new feral pig groups across the South West have been established to infill areas currently not managed by existing groups," a spokesperson said.
The Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) is working with community, Parks and Wildlife, RSPCA, the Department of Water and the WA Police in the coordination of both the management of feral pigs as well as the policing of the illegal liberation and hunting of feral pigs.
