Agriculture and Food Minister visits Mount Magnet for vermin cell fence in Murchison, Yalgoo, Sandstone, Cue

A wild dog control fence has been completed in the Murchison, protecting 53 pastoral properties to encourage pastoralists to rebuild the region’s sheep industry and boost livestock production.

On Tuesday, October 4, Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan visited Mount Magnet for the official opening of the Murchison regional vermin cell fence.

It spans across 6.5 million hectares of pastoral land, extending through Yalgoo, Mount Magnet, Sandstone, Cue and Meekatharra, and builds off the State Barrier Fence.

The State Government invested $1.144 million in the vermin cell fence after the trial demonstrated effective combat of wild dogs. The cell fence controls the threat of wild dogs attacking livestock, as part of the Wild Dog Action Plan.

Ms MacTiernan said sheep farming and wild dogs were “simply incompatible”, and the completion of the fence would offer pastoralists the confidence to invest in livestock production.

“This project has contributed to strong local jobs creation and Aboriginal involvement, including the use of regional contractors to erect 283km of wild dog-proof vermin fencing and sourcing of materials through a local supplier.”