Proposed farm assist program likely to be virtually unchanged from existing initative

Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA) Tasmania vice-president Don Riddell says a new program it is working on with the state government and other stakeholders linking up farmers and hunters is virtually the same as an existing initiative his organisation has had in place for more than a decade.

TasFarmers have also indicated they do not want to operate or manage the proposed program, meaning it is likely the SSAA’s Tasmanian branch will run it.

In September 2015, the SSAA launched its farm assist program in Tasmania, which the organisation described at the time as an initiative that “will provide landholders access to a database of qualified SSAA members with program-accredited shooting skills to assist with on-property pest animal control”.

Mr Riddell said the program had underperformed in Tasmania.

“I think that is because in the main deer areas there’s been long-term traditional relationships between hunters and farmers – so people didn’t see farm assist as necessary,” he said.

“The only people we had using farm assist were people who had odd jobs.

“But the thinking now is that with maybe a broader spread of some of the pest management issues – including deer, possums and wallabies – there may be a lot more farmers who don’t have hunters who might find this a useful avenue.”

Mr Riddell said the farm assist program that was being developed in conjunction with the state government was “not a new version” of the existing SSAA initiative.

“We’re basically just using the existing version.

“Really, the conversation we’re having with the state government is to get it promoted more.

“I don’t see any difference at all.

“It’s a very simple tool and, at this stage, we haven’t identified anything that needs to be changed.”

TasFarmers CEO Nathan Calman confirmed his organisation had met with representatives from the hunting community about managing species such as fallow deer on agricultural land.

He said that while his organisation was supportive of a coordinated farm assist program, TasFarmers was not intending to operate or manage the initiative because it was not a key priority for its members.

“Beyond recreational hunting, there is a broader opportunity to classify the species as vermin, ensuring more effective control measures are available, including commercial hunting for landholders,” Mr Calman said.

"The utilisation of wild shot venison by commercial hunters presents an opportunity to resolve the issue of removing feral deer from the feral landscape. 

"It is vital that farmers are supported and have access to all necessary tools to remove feral species from their properties, just as they would for species already declared pests, such as rabbits.”

Primary Industries Minister Gavin Pearce said the state government was committed to a farm assist program.

“By developing the program in Tasmania, for Tasmania, we are ensuring we can deliver the best outcomes for both Tasmania’s recreational hunters and farmers and land managers,” Mr Pearce said.

“I want to thank the SSAA Tasmania and others for their ongoing consultation as we work to deliver this commitment.”