Farmers concerned new 70km Big Desert dingo fence won't do enough to stop predation
Wild dogs, as recorded by a monitoring camera on Alan Bennett's exclusion fence. (Supplied: Alan Bennett)
In short:
The Victorian government is subsidising a 70km dingo exclusion fence bordering Big Desert Wilderness Park in order to help protect livestock from attacks.
The fence borders five properties but farmers are concerned it will only push the problem of dingo predation onto their neighbours.
What's next?
Farmers outside the exclusion fence say the entire Big Desert should be fenced to keep dingoes away.
Warning: This story contains graphic photos of dead sheep.
Farmers in Victoria's north-west say a new dingo exclusion fence will only push the problem of livestock predation onto their neighbours.
Two years after banning lethal control of dingoes in the region, the Victorian government is subsidising 70 kilometres of exclusion fencing bordering Big Desert Wilderness Park.
Farmers in the area have lost hundreds of sheep and lambs and say they have been unable to protect their livestock since the "unprotection" order for dingoes was lifted in March 2024.
The government is now partly funding the cluster fence to protect the properties where more than 80 per cent of confirmed livestock losses have occurred.
Alan Bennett has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on exclusion fencing. (Supplied: Alan Bennett)
'It will only shift the problem'
Alan Bennett, who farms north of Yanac on the border of the Big Desert, has been one of the most vocal critics of the government's decision to outlaw lethal control of dingoes.
He says he once lost 20 ewes and 30 lambs in a single night.
Analysis by a local agriculture consultant calculated Mr Bennett and four of his neighbours had suffered losses worth about $3 million since March 2024.
Alan Bennett says exclusion fencing will push dingoes onto unprotected neighbouring properties. (ABC News: Ella Archibald Binge)
Mr Bennett said he agreed to be part of the fencing scheme, which, until March, the government had refused to subsidise, because he had no other way to protect his livestock.
The state government is paying about half the cost of the high-quality fencing for five properties, and so far has paid out about $270,000.
"With the situation we've been in, we're happy to get anything, because we've felt very abandoned since this whole thing started," Mr Bennett said.
"It's just been an absolute disgrace, and this is just about the only tangible thing we've got so far, so we're prepared to grab onto it with both hands and take it."
But he was concerned the fence would only push the problem onto his neighbours.
Alan Bennett has lost huge numbers of sheep and lambs to attacks since March, 2024. (Supplied: Alan Bennett)
"There's an end to the fence, so unless the whole Big Desert is encircled in a fence, there will be problems," Mr Bennett said.
Neighbours next in line
Don Murdoch, a direct neighbour of Mr Bennett, said he would have to privately fund about 12 kilometres of exclusion fence.
"We have to do it, otherwise we become the next gateway in for the dogs," he said.
"Our fence will be something like a quarter of a million dollars.
"We've just got to find that, or suffer the consequences."
Don Murdoch says he expects attacks on his livestock to worsen. (Supplied: Don Murdoch)
Mr Murdoch said attacks were rare before March 2024.
"It's been a wonderful season, and our sheep were in the best order they've ever been for lambing, but the results were very disappointing," he said.
"I would say we've probably lost 30 per cent of our lambs.
"You talk about mental health, well this is a kick in the wrong direction by 100 per cent."
Mr Murdoch called on the government to build an exclusion fence around the entire boundary of the Big Desert, but said that was highly unlikely.
"I think it's only fair, since they brought in this protection of the dogs," he said.
"They've basically thrown us to the wolves — they've put this protection on and to hell with the consequences, as far as farmers are concerned."
An 'admission of guilt'
About 25 kilometres further west, Geoff Madden said he was dealing with predation of his livestock for the first time in at least 15 years.
"When we had our last attack, it took our lambing percentage from 80 per cent to 20 per cent, so you can figure on 2,000 ewes what that means," he said.
"Now we've all of a sudden got one [wild dog] working in our back paddock. He's got six lambs in the past week, which will be an ongoing problem because we can't effectively deal with him.
"A bloke who works for us just brought a lamb home, a beautiful little white lamb who had his front shoulder chewed out."
Geoff Madden describes the decision to subsidise exclusion fencing as "an admission of guilt". (Supplied: Adam Webb)
Mr Madden said the government's decision to partially fund exclusion fencing was an "admission of guilt" that would do nothing to protect most properties.
"It's not enough, because there will be a fair frontage of the Big Desert that won't be fenced," he said.
"We feel very isolated and deserted with our problem … there's a lot of mental anguish out here."
Geoff Madden says he has lost six lambs in the past week. (Supplied: Adam Webb)
Government recognises impact of predation
A Victorian government spokesperson said the exclusion program was being rolled out in consultation with landowners and was delivering state-of-the-art fences.
"We recognise the impact livestock predation is having on farmers and continue to have close and regular engagement with those in north-west Victoria who have frequent predation to provide support," the spokesperson said.
"We're partnering with the most impacted farmers in Victoria's north-west to help establish a dingo cluster exclusion fence along their shared boundaries with the Big Desert."