Feral pig numbers in outback Queensland have prompted warnings from cattle producers that consumers will not be immune from the impact.
The pests are running rampant in the state’s north-west, overturning water troughs, and contaminating cattle country in numbers the industry fears could affect supply chains.
Graziers want a renewed focus on culling efforts to reduce the risk of the introduced pests spreading exotic diseases.
Cattle producers say feral pigs are contaminating grazing country. (Supplied)
But while one hunting group argued the population was vastly underestimated, invasive species experts are cautious about oversimplified solutions.
Muddying the water
Lloyd Hick’s family has run cattle across Northern Australia for four generations, including on a property about 200 kilometres north of Mount Isa.
In country where water is scarce even in good times, Mr Hick said videos showing a mob of feral pigs bathing in cattle water points were concerning.
Lloyd Hicks says feral pig numbers are at the highest he has seen. (Supplied: Lloyd Hicks)
“They are dirty animals, they feed on dead carcasses and live in the mud so they ruin the quality of cattle drinking water really quickly,” he said.
“The risk of them spreading disease is really high and certainly in my area there’s as many pigs as I’ve ever seen around.”
Mr Hick, who is also president of industry group AgForce’s cattle board, feared the high numbers could make incursions of diseases not currently in Australia — such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) — harder to control.
“That will affect every Australian if we get exotic diseases here,” he said.
“Our export market will shut down overnight.
“The flow-on effect will go onto customers whether it’s not being able to get a product or the product being expensive.”
Queensland hunters killed an estimated 1.11 million feral pigs in 2024. (Supplied: Local Land Services)
Australia has been free of FMD for more than a century, but the highly contagious disease that can be carried by live animals, on footwear and clothing, and in food still poses a risk.
The detection of FMD in Bali in 2022 led to a tightening of biosecurity measures at the border, and in January 2025 Germany reported its first cases of the disease in 40 years, resulting in import restrictions on products from that country.
Primary industry analyst Matt Dalgleish said it was a timely reminder of the threat to Australia.
“Germany is a large exporter of pork products [and] veterinarian products,” he said.
“Given the size of [the pork industry] in Germany, from a global perspective, that could have implications for several products that Australia get, including animal feeds.”
Control at what cost?
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES) estimated an FMD outbreak in Australia could cost about $51 billion nationally over 10 years.
Even a small outbreak in Northern Queensland that included an extensive vaccination effort would likely cost $5.96 billion over a decade according to ABARES — costs Mr Hick said would flow on to consumers.
And that was just one disease.
The National Feral Pig Action Plan, a government-funded industry-led management program, said the animals could harbour and transmit more than 30 exotic, endemic, and zoonotic pathogens of significance, as well as more than 30 different types of parasites.
The federal Department of Agriculture estimated feral pigs already cost the farm sector more than $156 million per year in management and losses.
In 2021, the Queensland government said there were at least 2.3 million feral pigs in the state, although the true number was unknown.
As part of a citizen science research program with the University of Southern Queensland, the Australian Pig Doggers and Hunters Association (APDHA) encouraged recreational hunters to collect samples from the animals they killed.
Ned Makim says more help is needed to control feral pig numbers. (Supplied: Ned Makim)
National president Ned Makim said early results showed more than 1.11 million feral pigs were culled by hunters in Queensland in 2024, although the data was still being verified.
Mr Makim said it indicated approximate populations were on the conservative side.
“Estimates of how many pigs there are are really underdone, they’re too low,” he said.
Controversial control methods
Both Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and its federal counterpart said the management of feral pigs was primarily the responsibility of landowners.
Feral pigs are widespread across much of Australia. (ABC News: Brendan Mounter)
Mr Hick urged primary producers to report feral pig numbers more consistently to help push for more government support.
“We can put some data together to take to the government and make sure we get something done about these pests,” he said.
“We’re getting very nervous about killing any animals now.
“No-one likes doing it, but with a feral animal if you don’t control them … this is what happens, and it happens very quickly.”
Concern over eating invasive species
Experts caution that oversimplifying solutions could also present risks.
Carol Booth warns against oversymplifying approaches to invasive species. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Invasive Species Council policy analyst Carol Booth said documentaries like the ABC’s Eat The Invaders series, which suggests eating introduced species like cane toads, camels, and deer, could backfire.
“You can motivate people to spread invasive species further, spread fish to new streams, or create new populations,” Dr Booth said.
“You can entrench the problems because people are motivated to keep them in the landscape.”
In a statement, an ABC spokeswoman said Eat The Invaders explored the impact of invasive species on native plants and animals.
“The series includes a range of perspectives on how to manage this impact and does not posit human consumption as a fix-all solution,” she said.
