BOUNTIES for killing foxes and wild dogs will be re-introduced next year if the Liberal Nationals Coalition wins the November state election.

The $4 million, four year proposal was unveiled today by Shadow Minister for Regional and Rural Development and Nationals leader of  Peter Ryan and Shadow Agriculture Minister and deputy Nationals leader Peter Walsh.

Under the proposed Fox and Wild Dog Bounty, all licensed shooters, including rural landholders, would be eligible for a $10 bounty for every fox and a $50 bounty for every dog killed.

Mr Ryan said Victorian fox and wild dog numbers had exploded in recent years and were a serious threat to farming communities and the natural environment.

``Foxes and wild dogs are exposing farmers to severe stock losses, resulting in hefty costs to farm businesses and Victoria's economy,'' Mr Ryan said.

``Native fauna and our natural ecosystems are also under threat from these introduced vermin.''

Research showed foxes cost Australia more than $228 million a year in combined environmental and agricultural impacts and control costs, Mr Ryan said.

The direct impact on sheep production alone was estimated at $17.5 million every year, he said. ``In some areas they have been known to take up to 30 per cent of lambs.''

The Fox and Wild Dog Bounty would give community groups, rural landholders and shooting organisations an active management role in controlling Victoria's fox problem, Mr Ryan said.

``The bounty will be a vital part of a comprehensive fox and wild dog eradication program to protect livestock and the natural environment.

``We are aiming to replicate the success of the 2003 program when about 198,000 foxes were killed.''
Mr Walsh said the Brumby Government's token `Fox Stop' program had proved to be an abject failure.

``The Government has ignored the state's wild dog problem and has failed to control fox numbers,'' he said.
Only 6,200 foxes were killed last year under the Fox Stop program, Mr walsh said.

``The Coalition's plan will ensure control of foxes and wild dogs is no longer funded on a temporary, ad-hoc basis,'' he said.

``The Fox and Wild Dog Bounty will be part of a fully-integrated pest control program which includes poisoning and other measures to control vermin.''