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Feral pig (Sus scrofa)

Feral pigs dig up wetlands, creeks and crops across eastern and northern Australia, spread weeds and diseases, and would be a key carrier if an exotic disease such as African swine fever arrived.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, mammal.

Native to: Domestic pigs released since European settlement.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, SA, WA, NT.

Identification

  • Usually black, brown or spotted, with coarse hair and a long snout; boars have tusks.
  • Signs include rooted-up ground, wallows, rub marks on trees and tracks.

Where it lives

Wetlands, riparian country, forests and farmland, mainly in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

Why it matters

  • Soil disturbance, erosion and water quality loss.
  • Crop and pasture damage.
  • Predation on turtle nests and lambs.
  • Carry diseases and spread weeds such as pond apple.

How it spreads

  • Moved illegally for hunting.
  • High breeding rate.

Control methods

  • Trapping with silo or corral traps, the most practical method for landholders.
  • Baiting with registered toxins by authorised persons.
  • Aerial and ground shooting by approved operators.
  • Exclusion fencing for high-value sites.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Wash mud off vehicles and footwear after working in pig-damaged wetlands, as it can carry seed and disease.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): Key threatening process. Listed under the EPBC Act, with a national threat abatement plan for predation, habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by feral pigs.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 3, 4, 6. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment; do not move it; do not feed it. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Prohibited dealing (wild animals). Wild or feral animals must not be kept, moved or released, other than for lawful pest control. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Established pest animal. Landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its spread and, as far as possible, eradicate it on their land.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C3). C3 Management: landholders must manage it to reduce its impact and stop it spreading.
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Northern Territory: Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 (NT), administered by NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

Sources