Tallangatta Valley farmers raise concerns about wild dog fence reliability
It was trumpeted as “first line defence” but the electric fence erected to control wild dogs in Tallangatta is now “hit and miss” - with no staff to maintain it.
An electric fence erected in northeast Victoria to keep wild dogs off private property has become “hit and miss” amid concerns the person put in charge of its operation has been “redeployed”.
The Tallangatta wild dog management zone work plan 2023-24 trumpeted “well maintained electrified wild dog exclusion fences” to provide “an effective ‘first line of defence’ against wild dog predation of livestock”.
The 75km exclusion fence runs on a north-south alignment along the private and public land interface from the Murray River to the Tallangatta Valley.
Last year the fence had a dedicated worker to prevent shorts and other breakdowns.
But farmer Emma Nankervis said it was no longer working at all times.
“The fence is a buffer for all of us and not just the properties that back onto it,” she said.
“At times it’s working. But there is no dedicated staff member to maintain it any more.
“It’s just being done by DEECA wild dog controllers when they can find the time and they are pretty busy boys.
“If we ever got decent rain again, rain and erosion will be another problem with it because then the dogs duck under the fence.
“It’s such a shame to let a very valuable resource go to rack and ruin.”
The issue was raised in parliament last week when Benambra MP Bill Tilley called on Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos to remedy the situation.
“This government has been red hot on non-lethal methods of controlling these dogs and
here we have a 75km one that they‘ve turned their back on,” Mr Tilley said.
“Figures from the DEECA invasive species program shows a 30 per cent increase in livestock
either killed and maimed, and a 53 per cent increase in the number of wild dogs seen and heard.
“Locals say it is a direct reflection of the fence being out of action.”
Ms Nankervis said the fence wasn’t only keeping wild dogs off private property.
“It is also there to stop deer and pigs,” she said.
“Farming has changed and we’ve got a really aged farming community, not just here, but everywhere.
“They are not just physically capable of going into those areas.
“You need a team with a specific skillset and right gear to be maintaining it.”
A DEECA spokeswoman said the Tallangatta Valley community fence was installed more than 20 years ago as one element of livestock protection.
“As with all electric fences, faults occur from time-to-time, which could be attributed to a number of reasons.
“There has been no changes to staffing allocation and it is still being jointly maintained by DEECA and the local community.
“The maintenance of the electric fence line is a joint initiative between landholders and the government.”
Victorian legal eagle to sell landmark Western District farms
The owner of a Victorian farming empire has listed 1200ha of “powerhouse” grazing and irrigation farmland near Hamilton. See the details.
Hay company’s massive fine after dad’s workplace death
The company in charge of a Bridgewater plant where a worker was crushed in a hay-baling machine has been fined 20 times its bank balance over the death.