Posted April 29, 2014
The USDA has launched a national effort to reduce damage caused by feral swine, according to an article by the Southwest Farm Press available here. Pork Network also reported on the story here.
“Feral swine are one of the more destructive invaders a state can have,” said USDA Undersecretary Edward Avalos. “They have expanded their range from 17 to 39 states in the last 30 years and cause damage to crops, kill young livestock, destroy property, harm natural resources, and carry diseases that threaten other animals as well as people and water supplies. It’s critical that we act now to begin appropriate management of this costly problem.”
The Wildlife Services program of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will “tailor activities to each state’s circumstances and work with other federal, state, tribal and local groups.”
APHIS plans to have the $20 million program operating within 6 months.
“We’ve already begun this type of work through a pilot program in New Mexico,” said Avalos. “Through this pilot program, we have successfully removed feral swine from 5.3 million acres of land. By applying the techniques such as trap monitors and surveillance cameras we have developed through this pilot project, we aim to eliminate feral swine from two states every three to five years and stabilize feral swine damage within 10 years.”
For more information on biosecurity, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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