The dingo ‘unprotection order’ loved by farmers, despised by ecologists has been extended

A state government policy that allows the control of wild dogs, or dingoes, near farmland has been extended for another 12 months despite calls for it to be scrapped. 

A significant feature of the policy is the 3-kilometre livestock buffer zone within public land, which gives wild-dog controllers authority to bait and trap animals and has been in place for more than a decade.

The state government calls it an “unprotection order” as dingoes are listed as a threatened species under the Flora and Fauna Act.

A state government spokesperson said the decision was made after genetic research into dingoes.

“The current unprotection order will be extended for 12 months to allow for a comprehensive assessment of the dingo population across Victoria to inform the appropriate protections moving forward,” the spokesperson said.

“We will continue to work with traditional owners, farmers, and private landholders to appropriately balance the protection of livestock and dingo conservation.”

Agriculture Victoria said dingoes could not be reliably visually distinguished from wild dogs, making it impossible to ensure they were not inadvertently destroyed in wild-dog control programs.

A genetic study of wild dogs earlier this year revealed nearly 90 per cent of animals tested in Victoria were, in fact, pure dingoes.

In the lead-up to the decision, segments of the First Nations community and environmental scientists joined forces to call for the unprotection order to be removed.

The Barengi Gadjin Land Council in north-west Victoria earlier this month said the dingo was a spiritual relation to members of its community.

It said there was a responsibility to care for dingoes because they were a totem animal.

However, farmers also previously spoke about the success of the buffer zones within the policy. 

The Victorian Farmers Federation last month said livestock farmers relied on the plan to protect sheep from attacks.