Foxes take $28 million bite out of Australian agricultural sector, so farmers fight back
Australia's agricultural sector took a $28 million hit at the hands of feral foxes last year with the wool and sheep meat industry particularly hard hit.
It's thought foxes inhabit two thirds of the lower part of Australia with Tasmania the only state to have successfully eradicated the pest, which was introduced as early as 1845.
Sheep farmers across Australia have long reported losses of lambs to fox predation, however their voracious appetite for small animals is also severely impacting endangered native species.
Chief executive of The Centre for Invasive Species Solution Andreas Glanznig said foxes impacted upon up to 84 threatened species, eight of which were already listed at 'high risk' of extinction."They even impact on a number of turtle and frog species," Mr Glanznig said.
"But the question of what is the national fox population is too difficult to estimate and you'd simply end up with a very wide estimate that is not helpful.
"I think what is more significant is having an understanding of the impact that foxes cause both on Australian wildlife but on agriculture and particularly the lambing industry."
Single fox can take up to 12 lambs in one night
Western Australian sheep farmer Marcus Gifford was one of many to take part in a recent sanctioned cull of feral animals in his home town of Boyup Brook in the state's south west.
Mr Gifford said the annual event supplemented baiting programs of the poison 1080, which he said, while effective, came with the risk of also poisoning inquisitive farm dogs in the process."This [shooting] is about the best and most precise way we've got to control foxes on our farms," Mr Gifford told the ABC on the night of the cull.
"It's time-consuming but at the end of the day, it's the best way to do it."
The two-day event netted a staggering 701 foxes, 77 feral cats, 186 rabbits and five pigs but Mr Gifford concurred foxes were responsible for the most damage, both to livestock and his bottom line.Impact on sheep meat industry 'double'
Mr Glanznig cited a recent report compiled by the NSW Natural Resources Commission, which listed the economic impact on the wool and sheep meat industry at $28 million — up $4 million from the same report in 2009.
Broken down further, fox predation continues to hit the sheep meat industry particularly hard and currently sits at $10 million, up from $5 million in 2009.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-07/fox-numbers-take-bite-out-of-australian-ag... Farmers say shooting is the best way to control foxes.