Deer crisis in Tasmania is threatening local farms, costing $41m a year

Tasmania's fallow deer population has exploded according to results from a recent survey, leading the state's peak farming body to declare it is on the trajectory to be "the next rabbit".

The state government has released findings from a 2024 aerial survey, which showed the fallow deer population had increased by 30 per cent over five years to reach an estimate of more than 71,000 across Tasmania's landscape.

Fallow deer are partially protected in Tasmania, which means they can only be hunted during certain seasons.

In NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, they are defined as pests or invasive species.

Tasmanian farmers and conservationists have argued that the fallow deer's partly protected status hinders effective control efforts, and more aggressive, widespread control measures are