What do I need to do about pest animals on my property?

13 Dec 2021

This is a common question from land managers. In NSW all land managers, regardless of public or private land, must demonstrate that they are meeting their General Biosecurity Duty. This means you need to be taking reasonable steps to prevent, eliminate or minimise biosecurity risks.

But what does that even mean? And what species are classified as pest animals in the North West region?

For the North West Local Land Services region, the priority pest animals are listed in the North West Regional Strategic Pest Animal Management Plan (RSPAMP). This plan is the overarching document for our region to guide you as a land manager to comply with the Biosecurity Act 2015.

The priority pest species for North West Local Land Services are wild dogs, feral pigs, foxes, rabbits, feral goats, deer (red, fallow and chital), wild horses and feral cats.

Some of these species have multiple control methods, such as trapping, shooting (ground and aerial) and baiting. However, there are some species where control methods are limited. Deer is an example of this where shooting is the only control method available. Some people have tried trapping deer and this may be useful in some scenarios. It is in these situations where effective control is vitally important to get ahead of the reproduction rate of the pest species.

To know if you are on the right track in discharging your General Biosecurity Duty, North West Local Land Services have put together a handy guide. It can be found on our website by following the QR code below or hard copies will soon be available at our offices.

Access the Biosecurity guide here.

If you would like to talk more about your pest control programs, please contact a Biosecurity Officer by phoning 1300 795 299.