The NSW Opposition has promised a $300 million biosecurity and feral animal control program if elected.
NSW Nationals Leader Gurmesh Singh said the Coalition’s plan would take a multi-pronged approach to reducing feral animal numbers, with a particular focus on feral pigs, which cause extensive damage to farming operations across the state.
The package would include expanded on-ground coordination across all land tenures, a trial bounty scheme for feral pigs, the use of thermal imaging and drone technology to detect and track animals, and increased legal requirements for public land managers to address pest animals.
The announcement comes as the current State Government winds up its third consecutive year of feral pig programs. Since 2023, coordinated aerial shooting, trapping and baiting programs have seen around 240,000 feral pigs controlled, backed by a $40 million investment. The government has also invested $26 million between 2023 and 2025 to deliver the Feral Pig Program and expanded Feral Pig and Pest Program. The pig control effort forms part of a broader $1 billion biosecurity commitment the government says is designed to protect the state’s $25 billion primary industries sector.
The NSW Nationals say the scale of the feral pig problem demanded a stronger response.
The Coalition has not specified a timeline for delivering the $300 million program if elected, but said the investment would be backed by commonsense measures to strengthen biosecurity across the state.
