Richard McIntyre on a friends farm where he shoots Canadian Geese every year to keep populations down. Photo: Richard McIntyre
Farmers are spending millions each year on pest control but many feel like they're not gaining any traction.
Federated Farmers latest pest survey of 700 farmers found farmers are spending on average $5.45 a hectare controlling pests like deer, goats, possums, cats and geese
By using Statistics NZ data on the total area farmed, the group estimates the total spend on pest control is $74 million.
On top of that its estimated damage from pests costs just over $10 a hectare in lost production for a grand national total of $139 million per year.
Federated Farmers pest management spokesperson Richard McIntyre said it's a huge cost for rural communities to be carrying at a time when many farming families are already struggling to turn a profit.
"This is a very serious problem that's costing Kiwi farmers almost a quarter of a billion dollars every year."
However more than 30 percent of those surveyed said their shooting, trapping and poisoning efforts are making no inroads into reducing feral pest numbers.
Photo: 123RF
McIntyre said goat, pig and deer populations are booming in most parts of the country, but things are particularly bad on farms bordering Department of Conservation land.
"DOC are widely regarded by farmers as the neighbour you really don't want to have because they don't fulfill their obligations on controlling wild animals and weeds.
"Farmers can spend a fortune controlling pests on their farm but if the neighbour isn't doing anything, the pests jump the fence and you're back to square one," he said.
He said DoC needs to refocus its efforts on pest control.
"We had a meeting with them recently and said look if a group of farmers near DoC land are committed to doing a push on pest control can DoC redirect funding to do pest control on it's land."
McIntyre said the request was denied.
"We need to get on top of this problem now. If we allow these animals to keep breeding, their populations, and the cost to control them, will only continue to grow.
"We appreciate the Government is under huge financial pressures, but this isn't something New Zealand can afford to scrimp and save on."
Department of Conservation Director National Programmes Ben Reddiex said the organisation is concerned about rising pest numbers but because it's responsible for managing 8.7 million hectares it cannot manage introduced animals species everywhere.
"We are focused on prioritising the work we do to make sure it has the greatest impact, is coordinated with other parties' work, and is delivered as effectively and efficiently as possible.
"We acknowledge people who farm are frustrated about introduced animals moving onto their land from public conservation land, we need a better collective effort by all to find solutions at place, rather than DOC reprioritizing control at specific block margins."
Reddiex said such solutions might include partnerships between farmers and forestry owners and New Zealand Deerstalkers Association branches to allow vetted hunters to access properties or removing barriers to support commercial Wild Animal Recovery Operators to work on private land.
"DOC and the farming sector need to actively share priorities for introduced animal control, so we can be most effective."
He said thanks to Budget 2022 DOC has increased investment into its introduced species management programmes.
Wild goat control and deer management has had an increase of approximately $8 million annually, The National Predator Control Programme has had an increase of $7.5 million annually, while Predator Free 2050 has had an increase of $20 million annually.