Deputy mayor Stephen Lawrence has slammed shadow treasurer Walt Secord's call for a ban on pig dogging.
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Mr Secord said pig dogging was an abhorrent practise that should be banned in New South Wales.
Cr Lawrence is at odds with his fellow Labor Party member because he feels pig dogging prevents pigs from reaching plague proportions in rural and regional areas like Dubbo.
"City-based Labor MP's need to realise Country Labor people will stand up if senior shadow ministers float silly ideas with zero consultation at the expense of country people," he said.
"The timing of this flippant idea is extraordinary given the drought and all the suffering it's causing. Didn't we learn from the ridiculous greyhound ban? I expect this proposal will go down like a lead balloon out West.
"It's easy to stand up in parliament and raise a feel-good idea; it's a bit harder to understand the reality of what it means for real people. Pig hunting is a significant economic activity in many parts of Western NSW, including for traditional owners. It also prevents pigs from reaching plague proportions. It's a big part of the economy in some towns."
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Dubbo farmer Shayne Stiff said the impact of pig dogging ban would be enormous.
"A pig is a feral introduced pest, and they hunt in packs, they can destroy an entire crop in one night," Mr Stiff said.
"This is crazy to support the Animal Justice Party on this. If it happens it will cause the demise of any type of farming and hunting, it is ludicrous.
"The Labor Party wonders why they won't get a vote in the bush when they back things like this, hopefully, the Libs and Nats learnt from the greyhound ban and won't back this. Pigs cause massive destruction to crops, and we can't shoot them because they are too fast, we can't trap them because they destroy the traps and get out, and we can't poison them because they travel so widely, so you cant track them. The dog is the best and safest way to get them."
Cr Lawrence said he was appalled by Mr Secord's stance.
"How appalling for the shadow treasurer to casually propose destroying these livelihoods," he said.
"We really need to move past this knee jerk mindset of banning everything we don't agree with, or that makes us squeamish. Government's or oppositions shouldn't lightly trifle with people's right to hunt and to live the lifestyle they want. Some people will always do the wrong thing, but banning is not the answer.
"The hypocrisy of people who love sitting down to a good steak meal from the abattoir but are apparently animal liberationists is just a bit galling".
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