Article archive / December 2019
Originally published: . Volume 10, No. 12. Source pages: 4.
ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana, –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on November 20 that it is awarding $1.5 million to fund a pilot project to control feral swine in Louisiana and nine other states across the country.
These projects are part of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) – a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to help address the threat that feral swine pose to agriculture, ecosystems and human and animal health.
“Feral swine cause significant damage to crops and grazing lands, while also impacting the health of our natural resources,” said Tim Landreneau, NRCS acting state conservationist in Louisiana. “By collaborating with our partners nationally and here in Louisiana, our hope is to control and eradicate this invasive species – improving operations for farmers while also protecting our natural resources for the future.”
NRCS is awarding more than $16.7 million this year for feral swine pilot projects in select areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. The funding limit for a single award is $1.5 million. Awardees are required to provide at least 25 percent of the partnership agreement budget as a match to NRCS funding. APHIS is providing $23.3 million this year to the Wildlife Services programs located in the pilot projects states.
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