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Liberals Force Reluctant Bracks To Act On Wild Dogs

After years of ignoring the wild dog problem, the Bracks Government has started playing catch-up by implementing Liberal Party policies on feral animal control.

By news@gippsland - 28th November 2005 - Back to News

After years of ignoring the wild dog problem, the Bracks Government has started playing catch-up by implementing Liberal Party policies on feral animal control.

Shadow Minister for Agriculture Philip Davis said that while the Bracks Government was busy wasting money and time on self-promoting advertising, the Liberal Party was developing policy in this area.

"The Bracks Government has refused to recognise wild dogs as a serious issue for farmers for the past three years," Mr Davis said.

"Yet just one month after the Liberal Party announced its policy for an aerial baiting trial, the Bracks Government decided to follow our lead.

"This is yet another case of the Bracks Government doing nothing for country Victoria until it is forced to by the Liberal Party.

"This announcement is also a desperate attempt of the Bracks Government to rekindle its relationship with Victorian farmers, who it has completely ignored since it came into government in 1999."

However, Mr Davis questioned the effectiveness of the Bracks Government’s plans to lay non-toxic baits.

He said a Liberal Government would conduct a series of aerial baiting trials under strict guidelines.

"Labor’s plan to release non-toxic baits is a complete waste of time – it is a clayton’s trial," Mr Davis said.

"Laying non-toxic baits means farmers will have to wait even longer for any real action to be taken to control the wild dogs that are attacking livestock.

"It is time the Bracks Government showed some backbone and took some real action to address this problem.

"The New South Wales Government spends five times more than the Bracks Government each year on wild dog control and studies conducted in that state also reveal little impact on native animal populations from aerial baiting.

"The Bracks Government has procrastinated on this issue for too long, serious action is needed to get these wild dogs under control."

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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