The Tasmanian Greens have teed off on the government after revelations were reported by The Examiner showing Tasmanian golf clubs had culled over 5000 animals since 2016.
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After data was released by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment showing 22 active crop protection were held by golf clubs and 121 had been issued since 2016, Greens environment spokesperson Dr Rosalie Woodruff called for an inquiry into wildlife management and conservation.
"We need a wildlife inquiry in Tasmania, into management and conservation. There's just so many questions unanswered and so much opacity," she said.
Over 4000 wallabies and possums and 413 native hens, 405 wood ducks, 52 galahs and 19 plovers were recorded as being taken in the culls.
"This is an appalling number of animals and especially birds that are being slaughtered each year by golf courses," Dr Woodruff said.
"And they're being aided and abetted by an old fashioned, outdated approach to managing wildlife."
Dr Woodruff said she was particularly concerned about how the department arrived at the bird population information it used to evaluate whether a permit would impact native wildlife.
"We don't have good population information for native hens, plovers, galahs and sulphur crested cockatoos in Tasmania," she said.
"We don't understand what the department is using for the criteria to hand out these permits. It seems to be anyone who asks for one gets one.
"If they've got some transparent data, we want to see what they're using to make their decisions."
Stopping short of calling for crop protection permits to be banned, Dr Woodruff said they needed to be "highly and rigorously monitored" with "strong evidence" the permits are required.
In order to apply for a permit the applicant must include background information including the type of wildlife proposed to be taken, the damage it is said to have caused and any previous control measures used.
DPIPWE has said permits are only issued following a rigorous assessment of damage, alternative management measures, species abundance and requirements to uphold animal welfare and what audits are undertaken "where required" to ensure permit conditions are being adhered to.
When department secretary Tim Baker was asked how many audits of golf clubs with crop protection permits had been undertaken by the department a DPIPWE spokesperson replied.
"DPIPWE carries out annual spotlight surveys across the state to monitor population trends in a range of species. This information forms a key part of the permit process to ensure a species is being managed sustainably," they said.
They said no penalties had been issued to golf clubs over crop protection permit breaches since 2016.
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