Farmers and environment groups condemn government’s “offensive” protection
Victorian farmers and environmental groups have condemned the Allan government as “aggressive” for protecting wild deer as a game species as their numbers soar and other states move to control the pest.
The Invasive Species Council estimates there are now 1 million feral deer in Victoria, which has the highest feral deer population of any state or territory, with deer seen running through city streets and even breaking into a suburban home.
In October the government rejected expert advice to list wild deer as a pest in Victoria and will instead continue to list deer as a protected game species.
The government’s response to the expert panel’s report defended this decision: “Existing regulations do not constitute an obstacle to effective deer control.”
Ahead of state elections in November, farmers and green groups have joined forces to lobby for urgent funding for a coordinated and widespread control programme, describing the deer problem as “an invasive species emergency that requires urgent intervention”.
In 2021, a male sambar deer was euthanized after dodging cars for two days in Thornbury, Northcote, Clifton Hill and Fitzroy. The stag was believed to have made its way into the inner city via the Yarra River corridor.
They are steadily making their way from rural to urban areas, and Australian Deer Association Barry Howlett told this imprint that wild deer have also been spotted in suburban areas such as Alphington, Ringwood and Ivanhoe.
Victorian Farmers Federation chief executive Charlie Thomas told this imprint that the Allan government’s refusal to list feral deer as pests was “offensive” and that its members were concerned about damage to hedgerows, farms, waterways and landscapes.
They were also deeply concerned about the biosecurity risk posed by wild deer; Particularly if foot-and-mouth disease enters Australia and spreads among deer and livestock, Thomas said it could endanger Australia’s $100 billion agricultural industry.
“Having a non-native pest animal there causes a biosecurity risk, it causes damage to property, it damages crops, not to mention the safety impacts on rural roads – which are unsafe enough as it is,” he said.
“The idea that we would protect something that clearly needs to be eliminated is troubling. I hope we use some common sense on this.”
Also participating in the campaign to increase funding for wildlife and weed control are Environment Victoria, Invasive Species Council, Friends of the Earth, Vertebrate Pest Management Australia, National Parks Association of Victoria, Australian Land Conservation Alliance and Victorian Deer Control Community Network.
Jack Gough, chief executive of the Invasive Species Council, said the groups’ survey found only 11 per cent of Victorians thought the government was managing invasive species well and this “should be a wake-up call”.
“That’s why farmers, conservationists, and community advocates have come together—because we are tired of watching invasive species spread into the environment, farms, and communities while resources to deal with this crisis run dry.”
“There was a similar political fight in New South Wales over the conservation status of deer, and this changed when New South Wales farmers and environmental groups worked together to engage the government directly.”
Environment Victoria chief executive Jono La Nauze said the community was “ahead of the government on this issue”.
“This is an issue that affects a real diversity of stakeholders. [electoral] “From regional seats to peri-city seats, we have even seen deer running through the streets in Fitzroy,” he said.
“Communities will throw the red carpet to the politician who stands up and says, ‘I’m ready to support you in solving this problem.'”
While struggling with rising fuel and fertilizer costs, farmers are forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars to repair damage deer do to fences and crops, Thomas said.
VNPA chief executive Matt Ruchel described the deer problem in Victoria as an “invasion” and said only a systemic eradication program could meaningfully control wild deer.
The Victorian government’s deer control strategy recognizes that despite the harmful impacts deer cause, deer cannot be eradicated using existing control methods.
Feedback state’s deer strategy It showed that Victorians wanted “more emphasis on managing these impacts and less emphasis on deer as a hunting resource”.
Opposition public land management and outdoor recreation spokeswoman Melina Bath said Labor had failed to tackle the growing deer population for years and had “allowed the problem to spread by doing nothing more than confusing paperwork”.
“The problem has never been classified; the problem is the government’s lack of focus and action on the ground,” he said.
“The government should make greater use of the untapped resources of hunters and recreational shooters than it currently does to keep numbers down.”
Australian Land Conservation Alliance chief executive Dr Jody Gunn said the election represented a crucial opportunity to rethink Victoria’s approach to deer control.
“We have huge opportunities to have a restoration ecology across Australia and a restoration economy across Australia, but that’s [effects caused by] deer.”
I am outraged that the ban will be renewed in 2023 duck hunting In Victoria, the Electrical Trades Association (Victorian branch), which has a history of supporting hunting lobby groups seeking to preserve deer for hunters, brought together hunters, forest user groups, rock climbers and prospectors Creating the Outdoor Recreation Advocacy Group Lobbying on behalf of hunters and fishermen against the creation of new national parks.
In 2024, the Victorian government refused to accept a recommendation from a Labour-led Victorian parliamentary inquiry calling for a ban on duck hunting.
Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos has been contacted for comment.
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