31 March 2021
The National Wild Dog Management Coordination Committee, chaired by producer representative Geoff Power from South Australia, plays an important role directing wild dog management policy and research priorities.
The committee includes representatives from peak livestock industry groups, the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, state primary industry departments, leading ecologists and producers.
This month, the committee welcomes three new members: Sarika Pandya representing Cattle Council of Australia, Mike Darby, National Farmers Federation and John Rolfe, NSW Farmers.
Geoff Power welcomed the new members and said the committee looks forward to their valued contribution.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such a broad cross-section of highly skilled representatives, many of whom are leaders in their fields,” he said.
Geoff also highlighted the contributions of outgoing committee members: Justin Toohey, Cattle Council of Australia, Craig Mitchell, NSW Farmers, and Adrienne Ryan, National Farmers Federation.
“We thank them for their time and their contribution to maintaining wild dog management as a key priority for land managers and biodiversity protection,” he said.
Meet John Rolfe
As a sheep and cattle farmer from Nerriga in south east NSW, John has a first-hand understanding of pest animals and the problems they pose to farmers, the rural community and Australia’s biosecurity. John has been active in wild dog control groups around the south east for many years and is the farmer representative on the South Coast Wild Dog Management Plan and President of the Nerriga Wild Dog Association. John is also the NSW Farmers representative on the State Pest Animal Committee.
Meet Mike Darby
Mike joined the NFF in December 2020 as the General Manager of Rural Affairs and has held several senior policy positions across the agricultural sector, specialising in industry policy, research and trade analysis. He brings a comprehensive knowledge about Australian and international agriculture to his role on the committee.
Meet Sarika Pandya
Sarika is the Animal Health, Welfare and Biosecurity Officer at Cattle Council of Australia. She joined Cattle Council in 2021 from Animal Health Australia where she brings experience in emergency disease preparedness and response. Her interest in the agriculture industry was sparked while completing a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience from Sydney University with honours and work on the behavioural ecology (specifically nutrition) of invasive species. Prior to working in the agricultural industry, Sarika worked at the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics and at the Taronga Zoo Wildlife Hospital.
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