MONCKS CORNER – A bill was passed by the SC Chamber to prevent people from illegally moving wild pigs from their property to a neighbor’s property.
Illegal transport of wild pigs has become a problem in rural South Carolina, as some residents have arrested and thrown the pigs miles away from their properties.
A bill that would make it easier to prosecute the illegal transport of wild pigs was passed in the House earlier this week and is now going to the Senate.
Congresswoman Sylleste Davis, R-Moncks Corner, introduced the bill (H. 3539) to make it easier for the SC Department of Natural Resources to enforce existing laws that prohibit the transport of wild pigs.
Under the bill, farmers who transport pigs would need “an official form of identification” to transport pigs.
The “official form of identification” will be determined by the state veterinarian after consulting pig farms of all sizes to ensure easy access.
The legislation passed the lower house of the 98-2 Chamber of State on February 23 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources the following day.
“The project is trying to make it easier for the Department of Natural Resources to determine what a domestic pig or a wild pig is,” said Davis.
“This is a small part of a bigger problem and it is trying to prevent the spread of wild pigs, which cause an enormous amount of damage to our farmers in our state,” she said.
In South Carolina, the population of feral pigs has increased recently, as the animal breeds almost uncontrolled and people move them illegally from place to place to hunt them. They are now found in all 46 counties in the state, mostly along river basins – about 130,000 to 140,000 of them, according to DNR. A sow can raise about 30 piglets a year.
Pigs uproot native vegetation and forest plantations, even suburban lawns and expel other wildlife, creating $ 115 million in problems for the state’s agriculture, livestock and timber industries, according to a 2018 Clemson study.
Harry Dupree, who grows corn, cotton and soy on his 350-acre farm in Cordesville, estimates that pigs are responsible for about $ 15,000 in damage each year.
“They can eat an entire 25-acre field in one night,” said Dupree. “If something is not done about them soon, agriculture in Berkeley County will be virtually extinct in a few years.”
South Carolina law lifted most restrictions on shooting or arresting animals across the state. But pigs are so prolific that no one really expects it to stop population growth alone, let alone reduce their numbers.
“We must take steps to eliminate this nuisance,” said SC Farm Bureau President Harry Ott. “The feral pig transport bill is a step in the right direction to help control the feral pig population. It will be an important tool for law enforcement to identify individuals who transport wild pigs illegally and help them prosecute offenders. “
About 30,000 pigs have been captured annually by licensed deer hunters in recent years, according to DNR.
“I always said that if pigs went on a golf course, we would have this problem resolved tomorrow,” said Dupree.
The Farm Bureau requested $ 500,000 from the SC City Council’s Ways and Means Committee to match a $ 500,000 federal grant for additional wild pig traps.
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