Funding for pig problem

The State Government will spend close to a million dollars over the next three years fighting the South West's feral pig problem.

The $900,000 in funding, provided to the South West Catchments Council, will be used to bait and trap feral pigs on private property and in national parks and reserves.

Feral pigs are known to inhabit forest areas from Moore River, north of Perth, to Denmark on the State's south coast.

Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman is in Lake Muir, east of Manjimup, today meeting with stakeholders.

Mr Redman said feral pigs were a significant threat to agriculture and biodiversity because of their role in predation, habitat destruction and competing for food.

He said controlling feral pigs was time-intensive and involved long periods of monitoring, assessment and investigation so traps were set in the most effective spots.

"They also spread weeds and diseases such as Phytophthora dieback and the bacterial disease leptospirosis, which can cause serious harm, not only to agriculture, but also the environment and humans," Mr Redman said.

"It is important to keep up the fight against feral pig populations to ensure that the numbers of these destructive animals are reduced."