More than 800 feral pigs have been removed from the Cassowary Coast during the past 12 months through a coordinated management program involving local landholders, the sugar and banana industries, the Cassowary Coast Regional Council, environmental organisations and the Queensland Government. The initiative aims to reduce the significant environmental and agricultural damage caused by invasive feral pigs.
The control program combined aerial culling, council-operated trapping, and landholder-led trapping and baiting, allowing authorities to target pig populations across farmland, wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas. The collaborative approach has been credited with delivering one of the region's strongest pest management results in recent years.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council Mayor Teresa Millwood said the achievement demonstrates what can be accomplished when industry, government agencies and local communities work together. She thanked farmers, environmental groups and residents for reporting pig activity and supporting ongoing control efforts.
Feral pigs are considered one of Australia's most destructive invasive animals. They damage sugar cane and banana crops, destroy native vegetation, erode riverbanks, spread weeds and diseases, and threaten wildlife by disturbing habitats and preying on native species. They also pose a biosecurity risk to the agricultural sector.
The program also received support from Terrain NRM, which helped expand operations by funding additional pig traps and conservation work to protect endangered vegetation in the Wet Tropics region. Five new traps were added to the council's landholder support program to improve long-term pest management.
Council has reminded residents not to interfere with feral pig traps, explaining that all council-operated traps are monitored continuously. Authorities said interference can reduce the effectiveness of the program and may place wildlife or people at risk.
Landholders are encouraged to continue reporting feral pig activity and participate in trapping programs to help reduce future infestations. Council says coordinated action remains essential because feral pigs reproduce quickly and can rapidly re-establish populations if control efforts decline.
The successful removal of more than 800 pigs is expected to reduce damage to agricultural land, improve biodiversity outcomes and strengthen protection for the Cassowary Coast's unique natural ecosystems.
