A WAR against wild dogs is set to ratchet up a notch, as the Murchison Regional Vermin Cell (MRVC) project nears completion.
For farmers in the rangelands region, construction of the fence could mean a return to small stock production for the first time in a decade.
Mt Magnet Shire president Jorgen Jensen, Yoweragabbie station, said the vermin cell would enclose 55 pastoral leases and create opportunity and optimism in the region's pastoral sector.
He said it would prevent the movement of wild dogs from the east into the Mid West/Murchison region, while also protecting wild dogs and emus from moving into the agricultural regions of the Mid West.
The cooler summer allowed fencing contractors to work through more days than expected, meaning the project was running ahead of schedule.
"In my opinion, the two contractors are working ahead of time and the quality of work is good," Mr Jensen said.
"I would say finishing by September would be an easy task to achieve."
Mr Jensen said the project made some headway, before it was halted in about 2015, after it failed to secure much-needed government funding.
In 2018-19 MRVC obtained funding of $3 million to extend the Number 2 fence by about 275km to join up the State Barrier Fence.
"We eventually managed to get some funding from the State government, under the current Labor government, and we also managed to leverage that with Federal grants under the Building Better Regions Fund scheme," Mr Jensen said.
"Long story short, in an ideal world this would have been completed quite a few years ago.
"But it is what it is, we weren't in control of when the funding was available, so we have kept going with it."
The project comes after wild dogs ravaged sheep flocks and forced many stations to abandon their wool enterprises.
On average the area would comfortably run a "few hundred thousand sheep" and about half of that figure in goats, according to Mr Jensen.
Now he estimates there are probably less than 6000 sheep and less than 4000 goats over five million hectares.
Mr Jensen said the damage at his own station - and in the area - had already been done and was at its worst four to five years ago.
"Five dogs were caught on my station in one area last year," he said.
"Dog numbers fluctuate during the year, we tend to have less now but only because the food source is gone.
"The damage to our own business, like everyone else's is huge, it wiped out 50 years of Merino breeding and a well-managed rangeland goat herd.
"The impact is self-evident, most pastoralists sought income off-station, which slows the development of the pastoral enterprise simply due to time constraints."
Due to the devastating livestock losses, the project - for pastoralists - would be about rebuilding and controlling the wild dog problem from inside the cell.
"This fence, with an increase in dog control activities, will reintroduce an option back into small stock numbers in these areas," Mr Jensen said.
"Once the fence is completed the efforts can go on to eradication inside the cell.
"There are options, there is obviously the Murchison Hub Cell, which sits inside the middle of the MRVC, and there are options there to create some smaller cells inside.
"But again, it is dependent on available funding.
"Had we had support back in the day we would have saved a significant part of the industry, but that didn't happen, which I think was a huge mistake.
"Now we have a situation where basically the damage has been done and it is now a rebuilding effort, after the dogs are gone."
Mr Jensen said trapping and baiting had been used to eradicate wild dogs inside the cell, as well as some shooting.
He said in his opinion trapping was the most effective method, however the region was underfunded when it came to the number of specialist doggers recruited to complete the work.
"We do have an exceptionally good group of doggers at the moment and they are punching well above their weight in dogs caught - that is at least something.
"It is keeping the numbers at bay, but it is probably not enough if you want to start talking about eradication.
"The region relies on future funding to eradicate the predation threat and allow for confidence in restocking in three to five years.
"Pastoralists have managed the issue through baiting and trapping.
"But it is strongly encouraged that unless a pastoralist is competent in trapping to leave it to the experienced doggers to prevent dogs becoming trap shy.
"Doggers are vitally important to reduce wild dog numbers to a manageable level.
"I'd say we would need another five to seven good doggers for a three to five-year period, which would cost about $120,000 per dogger and ideally we would need them to start early next year."
Mr Jensen said the fence had been designed to fit with the water flow and large creek systems on what is "trying country" and "quite isolated areas".
He said this had proven to be a huge bonus for ongoing maintenance of the cell.
"We have managed to build the fence, so it actually lifts up with the water," Mr Jensen said.
"That means the new fence isn't getting washed out in those big water courses and it has worked very well in what I have seen so far.
"While it does add a capital cost to construct the fence, the savings from a maintenance point of view over the next 30, 40 and 50 years will be substantial."