Barry Moore and Jasmine Crockett introduce legislation to protect against feral hogs
Last week, Congressman Barry Moore introduced legislation to combat the growing feral swine problem. Hogs are not native to North America and have no natural predators in the wild here. H.R. 3984, the bipartisan, bicameral Feral Swine Eradication Act, was co-authored by U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30). “Feral swine have caused millions of dollars in damage on agricultural operations across Alabama and can undo years of hard work on Alabama’s farms, ranches, and forests toward feeding our country,” said Moore. “I am standing with Alabama farmers to take action against this threat by authorizing an eradication pilot program with proven results, with changes to make it better.” “My constituents in TX-30 are still seeing painfully high prices at the grocery store. Fruits and vegetables are missing from the shelves. As with so many things we’ve experienced over the last three years, the issue is the supply chain – and in Texas, our supply chain is getting ravaged by the scourge of feral hogs,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett. “As a top 5 agriculture exporting state, any disruptions to Texas farms have significant ripple effects across the country. Feral Hogs are an invasive species, and they destroy billions of dollars of crops. This cuts food out of the supply chain and increases costs consumers pay at the grocery store. I am introducing this bill to bring food prices under control and protect rural communities.” This legislation extends the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP). Feral swine are consistently detrimental to farmers, ranchers, and foresters’ operations, causing $1.5 billion in damages every year while preying on native ground-nesting birds like quail and turkeys as well as native reptiles and other animals. Where the FSCP pilot program has been implemented, it has shown great success in reducing these damages through trapping, removing and monitoring, and assessing the lands on which feral swine frequently reside. This legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate as S.613. The Senate version of this legislation is sponsored by Senators Tommy Tuberville, Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia), and John Cornyn (R-Texas). “Feral swine are a serious threat to the livelihoods of Alabama’s farmers. Feral hogs destroy crops, land, and undo months, if not years, of work by our farmers to feed our country,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Over the past five years, feral swine have impacted more than 173,000 acres in Alabama. Yet, the pigs are still running rampant throughout the South. And so today, I’m standing with Alabama farmers and taking action to fight back against this threat.” The legislation has been endorsed by the Alabama Farmers Federation. “Feral swine continue to be a plague on farms all over Alabama, causing both economic and ecological damage,” said Jimmy Parnell, president, and CEO of the Alabama Farmers Federation. “We appreciate Coach Tuberville’s efforts to make permanent a pilot program that has yielded good results in Alabama and other states. While progress has been made there is still work to be done, and this bill will allow USDA to continue and expand upon the work done thus far.” Barry Moore is in his second term representing Alabama’s Second Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
