For many workers, knock-off time is a chance to unwind, but for Joel Pappalardo, it's a nightmare.
An electrician by day and cane farmer in the remaining hours, he returns home to his Silkwood farm in Far North Queensland to count the cost of feral pig damage in his sugarcane crop.
Mr Pappalardo's family has dealt with the pest since his grandfather bought the property, south of Innisfail, in 1953, but with pig numbers exploding in the past five years, his dream of running a profitable farming business is being destroyed.
"We've [seen] this issue progress over the last 68 years from pretty much nothing to something quite extreme, "Mr Pappalardo said.
"My dad is very much hands on deck with me and experiencing the problem firsthand as well. He's at a loss what to do as well.
"He's never seen it like this. He just cannot believe how much the numbers have exploded in the last five years in particular. Night, day - I've seen them at all times. The issue has just become that big, they're just there all the time."
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Mr Pappalardo, who grows about 100 hectares of cane, said dealing with the animals had taken an economic and emotional toll.
"Some blocks [against the mountain range] were entirely wiped out - no longer acceptable for harvesting - so that means all the inputs were there, but none of the returns," he said.
"The only word I can use to describe how you feel when you're looking at those blocks that you've put all that hard work into is heartbreaking."
The farmer is calling for a unified front between growers, council and government, along with a multi-faceted approach including hunting, trapping and baiting.
"I believe the state government not addressing the parks [is an issue] and I also believe local council (Cassowary Coast Regional Council) could probably play a big role as well. At the end of the day, we are paying rates on agricultural land.
"I'm kind of at a point where I'm feeling like if it continues like this, I can't use my land for cropping cane."
On October 27, Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud announced the first National Feral Pig Action Plan, which sets out actions to improve feral pig management and reduce their impacts, had been endorsed by the National Biosecurity Committee.
The Australian Government has spent more than $14 million in feral pig management since 2015.
Feral pigs cost the Australian agricultural sector around $106.5 million per year, and $47.7 million per year is spent on feral pig control by land managers.
On October 28, State Agriculture Minister Mark Furner announced $965,000 (Round 6 of the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative) will be invested in the fight against feral pigs, invasive ants, weeds and preventing the further spread of some established species such as cane toads. No expenditure breakdown was provided.
Successful applicants include Herbert Cane Productivity Services; Sunshine Coast Regional Council; Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council; Brisbane City Council; Burdekin Shire Council; South Burnett Regional Council; Terrain NRM; Torres Shire Council; and Gympie Regional Council.
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