Last November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was awarding $3.7 million to fund pilot projects to control feral swine in Alabama. 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). NRCS and APHIS are working with the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) on three pilot projects in the state. Alabama SWCC Director of Conservation Programs, Ashley Henderson, told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman where those pilot projects are taking place.
These projects will significantly reduce environmental and economic damage caused by wild pig rooting. Wild pigs cause millions of dollars in damage on farms across the southeast each year. They also damage native ecosystems and compete with native wildlife species for habitat and food. In addition, they degrade water quality and pose a serious disease threat to livestock and humans. Feral swine have been sighted in all 67 counties in Alabama.