The problem

Wildlife pressure is a production cost, not a minor inconvenience.

For broadacre growers, feral pigs, kangaroos, foxes, birds and other wildlife reduce yield and compete for labour. Control costs money. Residual damage still shows up in the season result.

What this means for cropping businesses

Regional impact can exceed national averages. Monitoring in northwest NSW estimated about $62 million in agricultural losses from feral pigs in 2022–23, higher than the previous two seasons, despite ongoing control activity.

ABARES estimates average residual losses from feral pigs at about $46 million a year, alongside roughly $100 million in private control expenditure. Of residual losses, cropping accounts for about $36 million a year, concentrated in Queensland and New South Wales.

The National Feral Pig Action Plan also estimates private landholder spending on pig management at around $40–$64 million a year. That figure excludes production losses. Damage and control are both real costs.

Kangaroos on crop edges

Kangaroo impact is harder to summarise in a single national figure, but it is well recognised on crop edges and in dry seasons. A southern Queensland winter-wheat study near Bungunya estimated yield reductions of about 8–17% under dry conditions where kangaroo pressure was high.

NSW Department of Primary Industries surveys estimated about 10.9 million kangaroos in 2021 and 11.8 million in 2022, nearly a million more animals in one year. When green feed is short, growers report increased grazing on wheat and barley.

Foxes and birds

Foxes and birds are among the pests Australian land managers report most often. In the ABARES Pest Animal and Weed Management Survey, foxes were a problem for about 54% of land managers in 2022. Native animals and birds were reported by around 60% across survey years.

Where pest animals are present, native animals and birds commonly damage crops or reduce production. In 2022, more than half of land managers with pest animals on their property reported crop damage or lower crop production from native animals and birds. That includes grazing and feeding pressure on ripening grain and other standing crops.

Foxes are best known for livestock predation, but they are opportunistic feeders and will take grain and crop material as well. Agriculture Victoria cites a total economic impact estimate of about $227.5 million a year for foxes nationally, including production losses, management and environmental costs. On mixed and edge cropping country, fox pressure adds another layer of night-time activity that is hard to monitor continuously.

Night drives, fencing, baiting and fixed scare devices all compete with seeding and spray windows. Animals also adapt to repeated, unchanged deterrents. Damage is often confirmed at harvest, after the season’s inputs are already committed.

The gap we address

Broadacre operations need coverage on high-pressure strips when staff cannot be there: crop edges, headlands and water points. Detect the animal, whether pig, kangaroo, fox or bird. Trigger a species-specific deterrent. Reduce reliance on another night run. That is our role.

Sources: National Feral Pig Action Plan (2023); ABARES Pest Animal and Weed Management Survey; North West LLS / AgEcon seasonal impact reporting; Barnes & Hill, Wildlife Research (Bungunya wheat); Agriculture Victoria (red fox); NSW kangaroo population survey coverage (ABC, 2023). Figures are published estimates. Methods and years differ. They indicate scale, not a single farm budget line.