WHILE the SA dog fence is undergoing a multi-million renovation and renewal - using funds from the federal and state governments and industry - thoughts are already turning to how to keep up maintenance on the site.
At the moment $25 million is being spent on 1600 kilometres of the 2150km fence, but SA Dog Fence chair Geoff Power says it will still need to be maintained.
"The total revenue received by the Dog Fence Board each year is $1.17m," he said.
"This only just allows us to make sure the fence is inspected fortnightly and repaired as needed."
He said this funding did not cover any extras, such as dealing with sand drift.
The SA Dog Fence board and Livestock SA are proposing an increase to the number of ratepayers who presently pay into the fund, with an extra 600 ratepayers expected to contribute a further $350,000 each year.
At the moment, the entire SA sheep industry is paying into the repair of the dog fence, with an extra 12 cents per sheep sold paid into the fund.
Once the $5 million industry contribution towards the repairs has been paid, the levy will return from 67c to 55c.
At the time, then-Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone said the project was protecting the entire sheep industry.
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