Bluestem's been covering the politics of feral swine in Minnesota ever since then-representative Steve Green, R-Fosston, got a committee hearing on a bill based on one of his grandson's school projects. As I reported in 2018's Too cute: if only Steve Green could have come up with a real defense against feral swine, the Green solution would have allowed hunters to keep the carcasses of feral swine they shoot.
This in an environment and natural resources committee whose chair refused to hear Roseville DFLer Jamie Becker-Finn's legislation to address the very real problem of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Minnesota's deer.
I last looked at the approaches to the feral swine issue in Minnesota House anti-feral pig bill advances as part of Agriculture Omnibus bill. Now a report prompted by last year's discussion has been shared with the Minnesota House Agriculture committee.
At the Star Tribune, Christopher Vondracek reports in Feral hogs not in Minnesota, new state report finds:
Reports of a devastating wild hog invasion were premature, suggests a new state report.
"Minnesota does not have an established feral pig population," the state's Department of Natural Resources said in a 34-page document delivered to legislators Thursday.
The DNR report โ prepared in collaboration with state agencies for health, agriculture and animal health โ did, however, note that current law is "unclear" on when an escaped domestic pig should be called "feral."
For months, anecdotes have swirled about feral pigs in Minnesota, and the DNR's newly released report did not fully quash those rumors. During a brief discussion on Thursday in the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, Rep. John Burkel, R-Badger, a farmer from northwestern Minnesota, insisted he received two calls about feral hog sightings in Kittson County, which borders Canada.
"We're right there in the thick of it," Burkel said.
Eric Nelson, DNR Wildlife Damage Program supervisor, confirmed the reported pigs were actually so-called "loose domestic" animals that ran away from a farm.
Lawmakers requested the report last session, citing agricultural, health and environmental concerns. This followed widely propagated tales of swine running at large โ a fearsome threat for their destructive nature. Feral hogs have been confirmed in 35 U.S. states, where they damage agricultural fencing, disturb livestock and sometimes exhibit aggressive behavior. . . .
This week's report, as well as some politicians, offered some critiques of the state's laws for dealing with loose swine.
"There needs to be clarity," said Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, in a Friday phone call. "If you are either a farmer or a hunter and you come across one of these things in the countryside, who do you call?"
The report's authors say the state's laws, rooted in whether the animal is an escaped domestic or free-roaming restricted species, can send confusing messages about how governmental agencies should respond to an escaped pig. It doesn't take long, for example, for a pig escaping from a farm might resemble, say, a Eurasian boar.
"The majority of loose or feral pig reports stem from small-scale or hobby farm locations," concludes the report.
One possible solution floated by the report is increasing civil penalties to deter pig owners from allowing animals to get loose.
The DNR also discourages eradicating wild hogs with a hunting season, saying such sporting ventures may only incentivize the introduction of more hogs onto the landscape.
Read the entire article at the Star Tribune.
Here's the report:
MN DNR: 2024 Report on Feral Pigs and Mink uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd
The only razorback I want to see in these parts is my red plastic Hog Hat from the University of Arkansas, which rest in a place of pride on my desk.
Photo: Feral swine will eat fawns and other small wildlife, as well as carrying diseases that harm livestock and people. Via Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
Related posts
- Minnesota House anti-feral pig bill advances as part of Agriculture Omnibus
- Minnesota DNR captures four feral Mangalitsa pigs east of Blue Earth
- Too cute: if only Steve Green could have come up with a real defense against feral swine
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