Feral goat eradication campaign to be reviewed

11/4/96

Primary Industry Minister Monty House today announced a review of the State's feral goat eradication campaign to assess the effectiveness of current strategies and the benefits for the pastoral industry and rangelands.

Mr House said a Ministerial review committee, chaired by Agriculture Region MLC Murray Criddle, would review the program and make recommendations on its future.

"The review committee will determine whether the goals of the feral goat eradication program, initiated in 1991, have been achieved," the Minister said.

"Through wide community consultation it will also gauge the level of commitment by the pastoral industry and other land users to the program, whether they want it to continue and in what form."

Mr House said the review committee would also look at other alternatives to current eradication strategies, such as the domestication of feral goats.

"Recently, significant opportunities have arisen for the commercial production of feral goats," he said.

"The review committee will consider these developments and whether initiatives in this area should be expanded."

Mr House said the review committee would consist of Murray Criddle (chairman), Gail Bessen (Agriculture Protection Board member), Bruce Robinson (pastoralist), Kim Keogh (pastoralist and Agriculture Protection Board member), Wayne Fletcher (rangeland adviser) and Dennis Rafferty (executive officer).

Committee chairman Murray Criddle said the committee was keen to hear the views of pastoralists, conservationists, farmers and other members of the rural community about the effectiveness of the feral goat eradication program.

"Nearly 1.5 million feral goats have been removed from the rangelands during the eradication period," Mr Criddle said.

"This has been done by muster for slaughter or shooting on properties.

"It is important, through this review, to determine which control strategies are most effective and appropriate for the future."

Mr Criddle said the eradication program commenced in 1991 in response to pastoralists' concerns about the need to control the number of unmanaged grazing animals on the rangeland.

He said the program had been in place for five years and was due for review.

Widespread consultation is planned over the next two months with public meetings in Leonora (April 18), Carnarvon (May 2), Cue (May 3) and at a later date in the Perth metropolitan area.

"People will be encouraged to make written submissions allowing for all points of view to be considered," Mr Criddle said.

"The more input we have from the community the better placed we will be to provide an acceptable and effective strategy for dealing with feral goats."

Media contact: Peter Jackson 222-9595

Lisa Bertram, Agriculture WA (09) 368 3641

Dennis Rafferty, Agriculture WA (099) 850 103