In a bold move announced this week the Baird Government determined that the S121 license ,which controls the amount of native animals that can be killed, was red tape.

The decision sent wildlife warriors into a frenzy with concerns the move would endanger native animals including kangaroos, emus, wombats and cockatoos.

However, the NSW Farmers Association believes the move was positive and assisted the controlling animals in plague proportions.

WIRES CEO Leanne Taylor expressed her disappointment with the plan.

“Removing the requirement to obtain a licence and report the killing of native wildlife such as Wombats, Kangaroos, Galahs and Magpies is reducing their environmental value to zero,” she told The Leader   

“The proposed reforms have considered that a range of native animals and certain activities present a ‘low risk’ impact on biodiversity.  

“It would appear that animal welfare has not been identified as a potential risk in the process and nor has there been adequate consultation of the unintended consequences of the removal of licences across a number of interactions that involve wildlife including the s121 licence for property owners.”

 Mitchell Clapham farmers association chairman for the conservation and resource management committee said farmers applauded the move and had been calling for it for some time. He believed endangered species would still be protected.

“What it’s going to be is a code of practice applied with a risk based approach,” he said.

“What that will mean is for native animals, the higher the risk and the rarer the species is the greater control. It’s simply changing the regulation to be able to dove tail in with the new bio diversity act.

“You’ve only got to see dead kangaroos on the side of the road to know they are in plague proportions in some areas, we needed a simpler system that allows us to get a proportional number of tags to humanely control the number grazing.”