Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted a resolution Thursday , urging the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to expedite consideration of experimental use permits for feral swine toxicant testing in an effort to combat the feral hog population in Louisiana.

The resolution, reached at the Commission’s monthly meeting in Baton Rouge, also asks the EPA to expedite issuance of pesticide registration for feral swine once all necessary research is provided.

To see the entire resolution, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/category/commission-action-items.

Feral hogs have been detected in all 64 Louisiana parishes and now number nearly 1 million in the state. They cause extensive damage to the environment and are a detriment to wildlife and humans due to food and habitat competition and degradation. They are carriers of several zoonotic diseases, cause soil erosion in sensitive areas and reduce water quality.  It is estimated that feral hogs cause in excess of $75 million in damages to Louisiana agriculture annually.

For more information on feral hogs, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/feral-hogs or contact LDWF State Veterinarian Jim LaCour at jlacour@wlf.la.gov.