So, residents in Singleton, Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter Local Government Areas will be pleased to hear they can now benefit from a Professional Wild Dog Controller Program.

The program will give landholders access to professional wild dog control support to control the issue.

It is a joint effort between the Hunter Valley Combined Wild Dog Association, Hunter Local Land Services, and a range of stakeholder investors.

These groups work with landholders across a diverse landscape to protect Upper Hunter livestock.

The four-year initiative was officially launched on Monday morning at Gundibri Station Merriwa.

It is expected to expand on present control arrangements and integrate with existing local wild dog management plans.

Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen said helping land managers meet their biosecurity requirements was a priority for Local Land Services and the NSW government.

“A combined program of this size has not been attempted in the Upper Hunter before,” he said.

“Working together with a nil-tenure approach gives land managers the best chance to reduce the devastating impact wild dogs have on livestock and native species.”

To be eligible for the reactive program, residents must be a member of their local wild dog association; have previously reported wild dog activity on their property; have previously tried other activities, such as baiting, to reduce the impact of wild dogs on their property; have suffered loss of livestock due to wold dogs; and, be prepared to pay 10 per cent of the cost of wold dog control, up to a maximum of $500.

From this Expression of Interest period, a pool of professional wild dog controllers will be established to participate in both strategic, planned periods of control work and also reactive work in direct response to livestock attacks.

The program will begin this year, and initially continue until 2021.

To apply, contact your local wild dog association member, or Hunter Local Land Services biosecurity officers for advice on your situation.

For more information on this program, contact Hunter Valley Combined Wild Dog Association chairman Craig Murphy on 0427 837 855, Hunter Local Land Services senior biosecurity officer Richard Ali on 0429 722 944.