ALMOST all South East Queensland land managers spent around $21,950 last year managing feral animal and pest weeds.
ABARES executive director Dr Jared Greenville said results of the 2022 ABARES pest animal and weed management survey showed 85 percent of Australia’s land managers spent the eye watering amount.
He said the survey demonstrated that the level of commitment required to control pests and weeds was increasing.
“Land managers reported that feral animals continue to cause considerable impacts on their properties in 2022,” Dr Greenville said.
“The survey showed 89 percent of land managers reported problems due to feral animals in 2022, up from 85 percent in 2019.
“Foxes, rabbits, rats and mice were the most common species reported as causing problems.
“There have also been reports of feral animals that are new to properties or have increased in numbers, such as feral pigs and deer, that are causing damage.”
He said around three quarters of land managers continued to manage pest animals on their properties through various means.
Somerset Regional Council run a trapping program to help landholders keep control of pest animals like dingoes, wild dogs, foxes, feral pigs, feral cats, rabbits and deer.
Council officers attend affected properties after receiving complaints of invasive animals to assess what control method would be more effective.
Traps are then set and subsequently collected, and any restricted invasive animals are destroyed.                                                                                                          There are approximately 15,000 red deer in South East Queensland and but other species like fallow deer and rusa deer are also found in the region.
They create issues for graziers by competing with livestock for grass and grain, biting cattle and spreading pests like ticks.
“Ground shooting is the most common management activity and used by about 75 percent of land managers,” Dr Greenville said.
“Pesticide or insecticide use and ground baiting are also popular measures and are used by around half of land managers.”
Another pest landholders face is weeds and ABARES reported weed related problems had risen since 2019.
“The most common weeds that were reported as being new to the property were Fireweed, Feathertop Rhodes grass, Fleabane, African lovegrass, Thistles and Giant rats tail grass,” he said.
“More than 80 percent of land managers are actively managing weeds on their properties, with the application of herbicides remaining the most common weed management activity.”

FERAL FURY