❓ Hon Rick Mazza questions the Minister for Agriculture and Food regarding evidence of 'pig seeding' (releasing pigs for hunting) and related legal actions. The Minister denies any evidence supports the claim.
AnsweredQoN 132Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
PIG HUNTING
132. Hon RICK MAZZA to the
Minister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer to a media article by ABC Rural , dated 13 January 2015, and titled ''Volunteer
groups forced to compete with illegal pig breeders and hunters in controlling
feral numbers in south-west WA''. Despite the alarming number of wild
pigs throughout rural and regional Western Australia, a Department of
Agriculture and Food feral control officer suggests in the article that
individuals go to the trouble of catching, securing, nurturing and then
transporting live pigs hundreds of kilometres to release into open bushland for
the purpose of providing sport for that specific individual.
(1) What evidence is there to support claims of ''pig
seeding''?
(2) Is the minister aware of any charges against individuals
for the dumping of pigs?
(3) Is the minister aware of any convictions for the dumping
of pigs?
(4) Is the
minister aware of studies that show pigs have the capacity to range between 50 kilometres
and 100 kilometres?
132. Hon RICK MAZZA to the
Minister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer to a media article by ABC Rural , dated 13 January 2015, and titled ''Volunteer
groups forced to compete with illegal pig breeders and hunters in controlling
feral numbers in south-west WA''. Despite the alarming number of wild
pigs throughout rural and regional Western Australia, a Department of
Agriculture and Food feral control officer suggests in the article that
individuals go to the trouble of catching, securing, nurturing and then
transporting live pigs hundreds of kilometres to release into open bushland for
the purpose of providing sport for that specific individual.
(1) What evidence is there to support claims of ''pig
seeding''?
(2) Is the minister aware of any charges against individuals
for the dumping of pigs?
(3) Is the minister aware of any convictions for the dumping
of pigs?
(4) Is the
minister aware of studies that show pigs have the capacity to range between 50 kilometres
and 100 kilometres?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
without notice.
(1)–(4) This
has been going on for some time, with people claiming that pigs get released
into the wild so people can hunt them. I have to say that I have heard this
claim over time and I do not believe there has been any evidence to back it up.
I remember when a lot of wild pigs were taken to Northampton and people said
they had always been let go by farmers so they can hunt them. While I have been
Minister for Agriculture and Food, I have certainly not seen or heard of any
evidence, but this myth is bandied around quite regularly. I repeat that I have
not seen any evidence whatsoever that that occurs. Interestingly enough, there
was also reference to this when I introduced the bounty for wild dogs, and it
was said that people let the pups go so they could collect the money next year
for the next lot. That adage has also been going around for some time—and
I do not believe that it occurs at all.
without notice.
(1)–(4) This
has been going on for some time, with people claiming that pigs get released
into the wild so people can hunt them. I have to say that I have heard this
claim over time and I do not believe there has been any evidence to back it up.
I remember when a lot of wild pigs were taken to Northampton and people said
they had always been let go by farmers so they can hunt them. While I have been
Minister for Agriculture and Food, I have certainly not seen or heard of any
evidence, but this myth is bandied around quite regularly. I repeat that I have
not seen any evidence whatsoever that that occurs. Interestingly enough, there
was also reference to this when I introduced the bounty for wild dogs, and it
was said that people let the pups go so they could collect the money next year
for the next lot. That adage has also been going around for some time—and
I do not believe that it occurs at all.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.