Livestock mauled, crops trampled: State Barrier Fence remains unfinished seven years after project begins

A project to extend one of Australia’s longest fences continues to drag on seven years after it was announced, leaving Esperance farmers facing an intense barrage of attacks on livestock and crops. About 360km of the proposed 660km extension has been built after work first started in May 2019, with the Cook Government attributing the delay to complex native title agreements and COVID-related construction delays. The delay means livestock near Salmon Gums are being found to be extensively mauled by wild dogs. Between 60 and 80 head of sheep were found mauled around January 26. Photographs provided to Countryman show deceased sheep that have sustained extensive injuries — one sheep was missing its face. Esperance Biosecurity Association chair and Cascade farmer Scott Pickering said sheep that had been found mauled was a direct result of the gap in the fence which had created a funnel effect of pests for nearby farmers. “There’s a lot of sheep getting attacked at the moment through that gap,” he said. “The worst part — you can’t build a fence and leave a gap in the middle of it . . . the biggest problem is the 136km gap across the top of Salmon Gums.” The 1170km State barrier fence aims to protect livestock and crops from wild animals across WA, with the $11 million, 660km extension set to extend the fence from Ravensthorpe to Cape Arid National Park east of Esperance after 20 years of campaigning by local farmers. Once the project is complete, the State barrier fence will run 1850km from Zuytdorp Cliffs, north of Kalbarri, to Condingup, helping the livestock industry fight back against wild dogs, kangaroos and emus, among other pests. The extension will close the gap at the end of the fence and extend it east of Esperance. A spokeswoman for State Agricultural Minister Jackie Jarvis said the project was progressing. “A further 78 kilometres is under construction from Beaumont to Fisheries Road, which is due for completion in March this year,” she said. “Once complete, there will be a remaining 136 kilometres north of Salmon Gums to be installed.” Liberal MLC and Wickepin farmer Steve Martin said his frustration level for farmers was “red hot” after hearing about the attacks during a recent visit to the Esperance area. “What happens when you leave a gap in a barrier fence is that the animals roll along the barrier fence until they hit the gap, and if your farm happens to be at the gap, you get smashed,” he said. “The smaller the gap gets, technically the worse it gets because you’re just funnelling everything to one patch. “After all the slaps that the sheep industry has had — and they’ve had plenty — there are a very few erstwhile growers desperately trying to cling on. “Now they’re having sheep that are probably worth between $250 to $300 each mauled by wild dogs because of a breakdown in a fence process that should have been done years ago.” Mr Pickering said farmers in the area were frustrated by the lack of progress to the construction of the fence, with some offering to have the fence built on their private land. “It’s just absolute bulls... that you can leave a gap in a fence . . . these people’s livelihoods are getting attacked,” he said. In July last year, a spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said the completion of the fence had been delayed due to ongoing negotiations with the Ngadju Native Title Aboriginal Corporation. Originally known as the rabbit-proof fence, the State barrier fence was constructed between 1902 and 1907 to protect agricultural areas from pests. Funding for the extension comprised government contributions of $7.5m (State), $1m (Commonwealth) and $1.23m (local), including $275,000 from the Shire of Ravensthorpe and $955,982 from the Shire of Esperance.