On August 10, the National Wild Pig Task Force sent a letter to Capitol Hill advocating for the inclusion of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program in the 2018 Farm Bill reauthorization.
The letter, sent to Farm Bill conferees, expressed strong support for the proposed new provision within the conservation title of the Farm Bill that would provide additional federal funds to address the feral swine issue. Specifically, the pilot program would provide $100 million mandatory funding to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to establish pilot projects to control and eradicate feral swine as well as mitigate their damages.
The National Wild Pig Task Force (NWPTF) is a technical, scientific, and leadership alliance of federal, tribal, provincial, state and private conservation partners and feral swine experts that exists to: provide national leadership and a collective voice for the science-based management of wild pigs; provide a forum for the exchange of information among stakeholder groups; identify knowledge gaps in the biology, ecology, and management of wild pigs; and provide sound science-based information to the public, administrators, and policy makers regarding the management of wild pigs.
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Southeastern States Director Bee Frederick serves on the Steering Committee of the NWPTF.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
