Scenic Rim dog fight gets boost
SCENIC RIM landowners will be able to better control wild dogs with the support of a new locally based wild dog destruction officer.
A Biosecurity Queensland spokesperson yesterday confirmed an officer set to be based at Beaudesert will soon be able to assist people throughout the Scenic Rim region in baiting and trapping dogs.
The spokesperson said the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) realised farmers were concerned about the impact of wild dogs on livestock.
"In recent years these impacts have become more pronounced in more closely settled areas," they said.
DAFF is recruiting a number of new officers, including an officer for the Beaudesert post.
The spokesperson said the officers would generally work with councils and landholders to develop and implement control programs, as well as working with researchers and agricultural bodies to support exisiting baiting and trapping.
Scenic Rim mayor John Brent said his council was constantly working to control wild dogs.
"Council conducts baiting activities to control wild dog populations and also offers a bounty for wild dog scalps," Cr Brent said.
Cr Brent said the council worked in partnership with neighbouring councils as well as state and federal authorities.
Council officers are responsible for managing pest animals under state legislation, but Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry John McVeigh stepped up State Government support for the issue when he announced the new officers.
Since last month, Queensland landowners have also been allowed to take meat sourced from their property to a baiting station for injection with poisonous substance 1080.
Mr McVeigh said an industry advisory group called the Queensland Dog Offensive Group would co-ordinate the bait preparation and distribution. He said the wild dog destruction officers would fill five of 15 "frontline services" positions aimed at helping producers to fight ticks, weeds and feral pests.
