Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Field and Game Spokesperson Bart Urwin proposes a competition similar to the Million Dollar Fish to tackle our feral pig problem

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NT Field and Game Spokesperson Bart Urwin proposes a competition similar to the Million Dollar Fish to tackle our feral pig problem · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: There are always issues in the territory when it comes
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: to the different types of animals we've got around the place.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: But one of those concerns right now, as I understand it,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: is our feral pigs. Now joining me on the line
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: to talk a little bit more about the situation. NT
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Field and Game spokesperson Bart Irwin, Good morning to you.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Bart, Good morning Katie mate.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: What's going on with the wild pigs at the moment.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Well, it's no secret that they roam across most of
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: the top end. They're just about everywhere right to the
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: very outskirts of Darwin and the rural area. But yeah,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: there are three devastating animal born diseases now endemic in
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: the top end or on our doorstep. They are Japanese
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: and caphalitis. It has been found at middle point in pigs.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: There new folk dam and foot and mouth disease recently
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: found in Indonesia, an African fine swine flu which has
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: been in team or less day for some time now.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: And all of these diseases use pigs as a vector
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: and in the case of Japanese and cathal itis, the
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: mosquitoes use pigs as a bloodbank before infecting humans. Farmers
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: out there a middle point have been offered vaccination for
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: Japanese and cafl ititis in the pigs there, New folk
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: damp and if foot and mouth transfers from Indonesia will
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: cost the Australian lives of industry billions, along with government
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: that will have to control the African swine fever also
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: pose a similar threat to the pork industry in Australia.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: These diseases are the last thing Australian ags is. Inflation
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: rises and food costs, especially meat prices spiral. Add to
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: that a recession that is looming, it seems should be
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: quite bleak.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: I reckon so mate, from your perspective, obviously you're with
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: nt Field and Game, a spokesperson for NTA Field and Game.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: You and I have spoken before about good hunting and
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: various other things. But from your perspective, what could this
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: do you know for us here in the Northern Territory.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: Well, int Field, we have been advocating to Ministers Baller
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: and Yubo in the last Cabinet for a number of
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: years to investigate a million dollar pig hunning program on
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: into parks and wildlife land and mayor parks that would
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: destroy virtually all pigs on parks and what are parks
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: land allous of piglets and therefore ProCheck visitors to those
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: areas that may be bidden by mosquitoes. It would also
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: reduce the numbers of pigs that cross through fences to
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: adjacent pastalis properties and infect valuable stock that we rely
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: on for food mat competition.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: You we'll talk us through what this would look like,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: this competition, the million dollar pig program. Is it similar
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: to what we're seeing with the million dollar fish?
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: It is similar, It is similar, but it would run
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: for up to eight to nine months, so the dry
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: the dry months of the year, and what parks would
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: need to do is go on to certain allotments and
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: you know, they could ballot those out over the eight
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: month period, so one day could be or one month
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: it could be Harrison Dam, let's say, and trap some
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: pigs there, put a microchip in their ears so that
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: they were unidentifiable as the million dollar pig or a
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: ten thousand dollar pig, and then allow hunters one month
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: to hunt that area. By doing that, they would shoot
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: every ball, sow and piglet there, hoping to get the
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: million dollar pig or at least a dividend, So they
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: just take the years off, bring years back into a
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: to a scanning device the government could set up and
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: that would then be scanned and you're either a winner
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: or not there's nothing in the air, or you've got
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: the winning number.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: But there'll be some animal activists listening this morning thinking
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: this is not a good idea. But we have got
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: an issue right now, don't we with those feral pigs.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, certainly we have. And if this disease gets there,
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: well it's foot in mouth or African swinefully to get out.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: It'll be worse for every animal that is either behind
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: water or not in the territory. So the animal activists
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: should understand that feral pigs are dangered both to many
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: many animals, but to our magpoint geese. They destroy this,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: they eat eggs, they destroy habitat. So that's one thing
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: that Mt. Field and Game is always very keen to
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: eliminate and to control, is the destruction that pig scores
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: to our beautiful magpoy gooese.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: And but have you had much feedback from the government
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: on the side.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: Well, Minister Lawler has pushed it back across the table
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: to me repeatedly. We're hoping now with Lauren Moss and
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: Nicole Manison taking up those portfolios, that we can get
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: into discussions with them explain how it works. It just
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: needs an amendment to the Wildlife Act. I think it
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: is says the Wildlife Act of the Park Parks Act.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: But they would certainly know, and that's what they're paid
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: to do. They're paid to legislate, make amendments and that
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: would then happen. I've spoken with the opposition and Jared Mayley,
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: as you would imagine, is very keen to went on
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: this type of competition, just as the Sea or Be
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: introduced a million dollar barrow. They see the tourism benefits
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: to our regions and to the territory. You can just
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: imagine all the coinsland coinsland and Western Australian pig hunters
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: coming across the border, just as the fishermen come to
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: the million dollar bar But they're becoming great the nine
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: months and a few of those months in the shoulder season.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: So it could be a good thing from for tourism.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: From your perspective, oh it.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: Would, yeah, it would help tourism. It would help you know,
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: these guys are going to break stuff on their vehicles.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: They'd be, they'd be staying in areas like the bark
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: Hut In or any of those areas for accommodation. They'd
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: be using fuel, they'd be, they'd be feeding dogs, they'd
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: be doing all sorts of things. So money, money would flow,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: just as it has with a million dollar barro. So
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: I really hope that Minister Moss and Minister Madison sit down.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Like I've spoken with senior people in both parks and
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: within Biosecurity, they both say it's a it's a fabulous idea.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: It just needs needs tweaking and it needs planning. But
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: it all they need that amendment to the Act.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Well, but I'll tell you what I'm really interested to
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: hear from our listeners this morning what they think of
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: the idea as well. They can call through eight nine
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: four one one four nine. We are going to have
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: to wrap up. But anything else happening very quickly with
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: field and game that we should be aware of this morning.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Well, we shoot just about every Friday at Klay Targets
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: at the mike A Creek Shooting Complex, and Sunday morning
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: I'll be running Sunday Mass for those who want to
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: come down and have a sneaky little quay target shoot
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: with you today. Most Sundays faile the bats running Sunday Mas.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: I was going to say, but I feel like it's
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: a different kind of mass to what some others might attend.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: It is. You can just say to mom, I'm going
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: to mass and turn up at the gun club and
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: we'll have a shot and enjoy the morning and then
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: sneak back on.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: It's always good to catch up with you, mate. I
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.