Economic Impacts of Wild Pigs on Livestock Producers in 13 States

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species in the mainland United States, where they are responsible for a wide range of negative impacts including damage to crops, livestock depredation as well as disease transmission, destruction of property and ecosystems, and depredation of wildlife. This manuscript summarizes a recent survey-based effort to estimate wild pig damage and control costs incurred by livestock producers by state and livestock type. The survey was distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistical Service in the summer of 2021 to a sample of livestock producers in the 13-state region. Findings indicated that predation and disease-related damage can be substantial in certain states and for certain types of livestock. In particular, damage to livestock operations, specifically cattle (Bos taurus) operations, in Texas, USA, was substantially higher than damage in other states and types of livestock operations. However, these amounts are dwarfed by the expenditure incurred by damage to property and the rooting of pasture. When aggregating across the entire 13-state region, we estimated that damage and control costs to livestock producers summed in 2020 to an annual amount of >$650 million USD, driven by damage to property ($375.5 million USD) and the rooting of pasture ($192.9 million USD). The findings from this survey provide valuable information to estimate the full scope of the economic impact of wild pigs in the United States.