How much does professional feral pig control cost in NSW?

Single-property ground shooting for feral pigs generally starts from around $500 per visit. The final figure depends on property size, pig numbers, terrain, and whether thermal surveying or baiting is included. Larger or recurring programmes are quoted per programme rather than per visit, and usually work out cheaper per hectare than one-off callouts. Contact us for a free property assessment and a fixed quote.

Why is aerial shooting so much more expensive than ground shooting?

Aerial shooting uses a helicopter, a pilot, and a shooter, plus fuel and ferry time to and from the property. Helicopter time alone costs roughly $1,200 per hour. One coordinated aerial operation near Lake Cargelligo removed 300 pigs over 2.5 days at a cost of about $30,000, or roughly $12,000 per day. Aerial control makes sense for very large landscapes and coordinated regional programmes, but for most individual properties, ground shooting with thermal optics delivers better value.

Is it cheaper to control feral animals with my neighbours?

Almost always, yes. Feral animals do not respect fence lines. If you control pigs or foxes on your property but the neighbours do not, reinvasion happens within weeks. Coordinated programmes across several adjoining properties spread the operator's travel and setup costs, cover the whole problem area at once, and deliver far more durable results. Many Local Land Services regions also subsidise baits for coordinated groups.

Are there any government subsidies for pest control in NSW?

Yes. Local Land Services runs subsidised and sometimes free baiting programmes, and provides discounted or loan traps in many regions, particularly for feral pigs, wild dogs, and foxes. These subsidies cover the bait and equipment, not the cost of a professional operator, but they meaningfully reduce a programme's total cost. See our guide on pest control funding and grants for NSW farmers for the current options.

Is professional pest control tax deductible?

For a primary producer, the cost of controlling feral animals on the property is generally treated as a deductible business expense, and some pest and weed control can qualify for accelerated deductions under landcare provisions. We are pest controllers, not accountants, so confirm your situation with your tax agent. Our guide on tax deductions for feral animal control in NSW explains the general principles.

Do you charge for a quote?

No. The initial phone consultation and quote are free. A detailed on-site property assessment with a written report is a separate paid service that starts from $250, and for large or heavily timbered properties we may recommend a thermal drone survey to accurately count numbers before designing a programme. We always tell you the cost up front and only proceed with your approval, and assessment fees can often be credited toward a control programme.

How Much Does Feral Animal Control Cost in NSW?

Q: What makes one quote higher than another?

Five things drive the price: property size and how far operators have to travel, the target species and how many there are, the terrain (timbered or steep country takes longer than open paddock), the methods used (a combined shooting, baiting, and trapping programme costs more than a single shoot but works better), and whether monitoring such as thermal drone surveys is included. A cheap one-off shoot that does not reduce the population is not good value, no matter how low the price.

Professional feral animal control in NSW typically starts from around $500 per visit for single-property ground shooting, with most farm programmes running between $500 and $2,000 per visit depending on property size, species, terrain, and method. Aerial shooting is far more expensive, with helicopter time alone costing roughly $1,200 per hour. Coordinated multi-property programmes and annual packages reduce the per-property cost. The real comparison is not price per visit, but cost against the damage feral animals cause: feral pigs alone cost Australian agriculture an estimated $156 million a year.

Why Nobody Publishes Pest Control Prices (and Why We Do)

If you have ever rung around for a price on feral animal control, you will know how hard it is to get a straight answer. Most operators will not quote over the phone, and almost none publish their rates. That is partly fair, because every property is different, but it also leaves farmers guessing about whether they are getting value.

We publish “from” prices and explain what drives the cost, because a farmer making a decision about their livelihood deserves to understand what they are paying for. This guide walks through the real costs of feral animal control in NSW, what makes one quote higher than another, and how to get the most out of every dollar.

The Short Answer

For most NSW farms, professional feral animal control works out like this:

Service	Typical cost	Best for
Single-property ground shooting	From around $500 per visit	Immediate knockdown of pigs, foxes, deer on one property
Thermal drone survey (add-on)	Quoted per property	Assessing numbers on large or timbered country before a programme
Baiting programme (1080, PAPP)	Bait often subsidised by LLS, plus operator time	Landscape-scale wild dog, fox, and pig control
Trapping programme	Quoted per programme	Trap-shy pigs, areas near houses or stock
Annual or seasonal programme	Quoted per programme, lower per-visit rate	Lasting population reduction across the year
Aerial shooting	Helicopter time alone roughly $1,200 per hour	Very large landscapes, coordinated regional culls

A one-off ground shoot on a single property typically lands between $500 and $2,000 depending on the factors below. A structured annual programme costs more in total but delivers the result that a single shoot cannot.

What Actually Drives the Cost

Five things move the price up or down.

1. Property size and travel. A 200 hectare block near our base costs less to service than a 4,000 hectare station three hours away. Travel time and fuel are real costs, which is one reason coordinated programmes across neighbouring properties are cheaper per property.

2. Target species and numbers. Shooting a handful of foxes is quick. Knocking down a mob of 40 pigs spread across river flats takes time, ammunition, and often more than one visit. The more animals and the more dispersed they are, the higher the cost.

3. Terrain. Open, flat paddock is fast to work. Steep, timbered, or scrubby country slows everything down and often requires thermal optics or drones to find animals at all.

4. Methods used. Shooting alone is the cheapest line item but rarely the best value, because populations recover. A programme that combines ground shooting, baiting, and trapping costs more up front but removes a far larger share of the population and keeps it down. As the National Feral Pig Action Plan and PestSmart both stress, integrated control delivers results that any single method cannot.

5. Monitoring and reporting. Knowing whether control actually worked requires before-and-after data. Thermal drone surveys and trail camera monitoring add cost, but they turn guesswork into evidence and let you target effort where it counts.

Ground Shooting vs Aerial Shooting: A Cost Reality Check

Aerial shooting gets a lot of attention, and for good reason on very large landscapes. But the numbers explain why it is not the default for individual properties. Helicopter time alone runs at roughly $1,200 per hour, before ammunition (around $1 to $1.40 per shot), pilot and shooter time, and ferry costs. A coordinated aerial operation near Lake Cargelligo removed 300 pigs over 2.5 days for about $30,000, which is roughly $12,000 per day.

For most farms, ground shooting with thermal and night vision optics delivers a better cost-to-result ratio. It is more selective, works close to houses and stock where aerial cannot, and does not carry the fixed cost of putting an aircraft in the air. Aerial control earns its place in large, coordinated regional programmes, often run through Local Land Services, rather than as a single-property solution. For a fuller comparison, see our guide on ground shooting versus aerial shooting.

The Cost Most Farmers Forget: Doing Nothing

The hardest cost to see is the one feral animals impose every year you leave them alone.

Feral pigs cause an estimated $156 million in agricultural damage and control costs across Australia each year, according to ABARES, and the national population sits around 24 million animals. Foxes cost an estimated $198 million nationally, mostly through lamb predation, and can kill up to 30% of lambs in affected flocks. Wild dogs cost Australian producers around $89 million a year. In North West NSW alone, feral pig damage has been estimated at over $62 million per year.

Put a single year’s losses against the cost of a control programme, and the maths usually favours acting. A few hundred dollars of lamb losses to foxes, a torn-up paddock of improved pasture, or a contaminated water source can each cost more than the programme that would have prevented them.

How to Get the Best Value

Coordinate with your neighbours. Shared programmes cut per-property cost and stop reinvasion. Feral animals cross fences; your control should too.
Use available subsidies. Local Land Services subsidises baits and provides traps in many regions. See our guide on funding and grants for NSW farmers.
Choose a programme over a one-off. A single shoot feels cheaper, but a structured programme that removes 70% or more of the population each year is what actually reduces the problem.
Insist on monitoring. Before-and-after data tells you whether you are getting value. Without it, you are paying on faith.
Check credentials before price. A licensed, insured operator who follows national standard operating procedures is worth more than the cheapest quote from someone who carries no insurance. See how to choose a professional pest controller in NSW.

Get a Transparent Quote

We assess your property, identify the species and pressure, recommend the right mix of methods, and give you a fixed quote before any work begins. No surprises, no hidden costs. If a thermal survey is worth doing first, we will tell you why and what it costs.

Sources consulted: ABARES cost of established pest animals; National Feral Pig Action Plan (feralpigs.com.au); PestSmart national Standard Operating Procedures; Local Land Services Feral Pig and Pest Program 2025-26.