Barrier against wild dogs and livestock disease

The Problem

David Counsell and his wife Genevieve, operate ‘Dunblane’ a 15,000 hectare Mitchell Grass property west of Barcaldine in Central West Queensland. Their operation encompasses 15,000 Merino sheep along with 500 head of agistment cattle.

Throughout the property, flocks of sheep continue to mix and are spreading lice and other diseases. Additional pressure from the increase of wild dogs have also been a serious threat to the Counsell’s family business.

Mr Counsell said, "Wild dogs are a massive problem for us and unless they are fenced out, I would have to leave the sheep industry, run cattle and become a part time producer. We don’t have the scale to be a viable full time beef property”.  

 The Solution

To reduce the threat of wild dogs and diseases being spread, a strategic exclusion fence was erected. As wild dogs and other vermin tend to burrow under fences, the new Waratah fence was reinforced at the bottom. Stocksafe-T Longlife Blue^® wire was fitted to the Waratah posts, the wire has been specifically designed to prevent animals penetrating the fence. A pre-attached apron was included on the Stocksafe-T wire, this eliminates the gap between the bottom wire and the ground that appears in traditional fence designs.

Mr Counsell commented on his new Waratah fence, “The sheep side of my business would not exist in five years’ time if it weren’t for these fences. The design also prevents separate sheep flocks from mixing up and spreading lice as well as other diseases.”

Advice For Farmers, From Farmers

“An average price for us is $6,000-$8,000 per kilometre and while that is not necessarily the cheapest fence out there, we wouldn’t have been able to stay in the sheep industry without this level of quality.” – David Counsell