Feral Deer - Draft of the Declared Animal Policy

Consultation Process

UPDATE: Below is a record of what appeared on YourSAy during the open consultation process from 31 October 2017 to 31 January 2018.

Provide your feedback on a draft policy on the management of feral deer in South Australia.

What is being decided?

The draft declared animal policy on feral deer (DOC 285KB) provides strategies to control and reduce feral deer populations across the South Australia.

To reduce the impact of feral animals in South Australia, Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) is reviewing declared animal policies under the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Act 2004.

The review is in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR), including staff from all NRM regions and boards and involves agricultural industry stakeholders and the broader community.

The objectives of the draft policy are to:

• Reduce numbers of feral deer by removing at least 40 per cent of female feral deer from all subpopulations each year.
• Ensure boundary fences of deer farms meet appropriate construction and maintenance standards.
• Prevent the release of deer.

The main changes proposed are:

• Require landowners to remove at least 40 percent of female feral deer from all subpopulations each year.
• Prohibit movement, possession and sale of deer, except by permit.
• Permits for keeping deer will be issued by NRM boards (with assistance from PIRSA Biosecurity SA) to all deer farmers, free of charge with minimal reporting. This will exempt deer farmers from control provisions in the same way that permits for deer farmers are currently issued on Kangaroo Island.
• Farmed deer (over 10 months of age) must have ear tags.
• Revised minimum fencing standards will be required for new deer farms.
• Audits of deer fences will be conducted every two years by regional DEWNR staff, and farmers will be required to keep fence maintenance logbooks.

The annual cost of all pest animals in Australia has been estimated by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions to nearly $800 million a year. The draft declared animal policy on feral deer aims to minimise the environmental, economic and social impacts of deer to the state.

How can your input influence the decision?

Anyone with an interest in or impacted by the management of feral deer in South Australia is invited to comment on the draft declared animal policy on feral deer. This includes landowners, hunters, deer farmers and the public.

Your feedback will be taken into consideration by PIRSA, NRM boards and the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, in finalising the declared animal policy on feral deer.

Get involved

You can provide your feedback by:

• joining the online discussion.
• sending in your feedback via pirsa.nrmbiosecurity@sa.gov.au.

Be sure to provide your feedback before comments close at 5pm Wednesday 31 January 2018.

The declared animal policy on feral deer will be completed in 2018 which will be uploaded to the PIRSA website.