More and more landholders in Queensland and Northern Territory are taking up the challenge of getting on top of feral pigs by deploying bait options Pigout Econobait and Hoggone meSN from ACTA.
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These popular tools have become the go-to solution for reducing pig populations across Northern Australia, preventing the further spread of disease, reducing crop destruction and ultimately providing a simple solution to this well-established and financially impactful invasive pest.
Feral pigs have been in Australia since European settlement.
Early wild population were established through deliberate releases and accidental escapes of domestic pigs, with most found in and around settlement areas.
Fast forward to today, feral pigs have spread across nearly 45 per cent of Australia, wreaking havoc across all states and territories.
Feral pigs ( Sus scrofa ) continue to be a major pest and significant threat to Australia’s environment and it’s $65 billion agricultural industry, says ACTA general manager Bradley Power.
Preliminary estimates alone have outlined the direct financial impacts across the country to be more than $106 million annually.
With further spread and increasing damage expected in the coming seasons, the problem is anticipated to intensify – especially in the currently favourable conditions which allow feral pig populations to flourish.
Recent papers and updates presented at the National Feral Pig Action Plan Conference by ABARE have also outlined a challenging outlook for feral pig numbers across the country he says.
“Significant growth and spread in feral pig numbers have now been confirmed across all states in the past two decades when compared to previous population density data compiled in the mid-2000s.
“With these mega trends front of mind, resellers need as many tools and options as possible to be available to landholders to fit all situations,” Bradley says.
“But above all, we need to act now to flatten the curve.”
Resellers and farmers across the country took up the Feral Pig challenge in 2024.
Now, on the eve of the most effective baiting window and the 2025 pig season in Northern Australia, ACTA is reminding all stores, farmers and councils of the range of options available during the most effective time for feral pig control – August to November.
Hoggone meSN is an effective, humane and environmentally conscious product and after more than a decade in development, Hoggone was launched in Australia back in 2021 in collaboration with government and industry.
It has since cemented itself as the first choice in feral pig control in all states due to its schedule 6 status – and no end user permits required.
In recent developments, Hoggone has also achieved provisional registration in New Zealand with targeted large scale use underway in 2025.
Other Pacific nations are also expected to follow soon.
Hoggone contains the active sodium nitrite, a compound which is highly toxic to pigs and offers an effective, fast-acting, and humane solution in the fight against this invasive and destructive species.
Put simply, Bradley says the active’s unique mode of action is similar to carbon monoxide poisoning with the sodium nitrite intoxication leading to a state of unconsciousness in the pig due to oxygen depletion in the blood.
It is this unique mode of action that makes Hoggone such a humane option for feral pig control.
Key features of Hoggone meSN are:
- Humane and quick mode of action.
- High percentage of target pigs found near bait site.
- Very low risk of secondary poisoning to scavengers.
- Highly target specific active and delivery mechanism – non-target safety.
- No permits required in all states.
- Shelf stable when stored correctly*.
*NOTE: Refrigeration of Hoggone is required to maintain the stability of active ingredient. Exposure to high temperatures may result in degradation of the active and reducing the subsequent palatability and effectiveness of the bait.
Pigout Econobait is shelf stable, highly palatable and cost-effective and its launch in Australia last season allowed some growers and councils to become the world’s first users of ACTA’s newest solution for reducing feral pig populations.
Growers and rangers alike were pleased with its performance, whilst agronomists and pest control professionals have also recognised and been encouraged by the labour savings, ease of use and cost-effectiveness.
PigOut Econobait contains the well-known active sodium fluoroacetate (1080).
However, it’s the proprietary bait matrix which truly differentiates the product in the field with feral pigs selectively consuming the baits, even when incorporated into the highly palatable free feed mixes.
Each Econobait weighs 70g and contains 24mg of the active per bait. Most programs commonly factoring in 2-3 baits per pig when budgeting.
Developed by Animal Control Technologies (ACTA) the product was originally designed as a carrier for sodium nitrite-the active in Hoggone meSN.
However, when combined with 1080, a highly palatable, shelf stable and cost-effective feral pig control solution was born.
Key Features of Pigout Econobait are:
- Cost effectiveness.
- Highly palatable to pigs.
- Easy to handle and no refrigeration required.
- Indefinite shelf life.
- Negligible interest by a range of non-target animals and birds.
- Optional deployment of use without hopper*.
* NOTE: to maximise labour savings, efficiency and non target safety we do recommend using in conjunction with the Hog Hopper or PigBaitta bait delivery devices.