The Greens want feral deer added to the list of pest species in New South Wales.

Agriculture spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham said the party campaigned long and hard to have foxes included on the list and deer should also be declared a pest.

He said the State Government needed to get serious about controlling a species that was a massive risk to both the environment and agriculture.

"By declaring them a pest it means they have to come up with a management plan and they've got to put resources into controlling these animals," he said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 9 minutes 23 seconds 9 m NSW Greens call for deer to be declared a feral pest, farmers want an overhaul of pest management generally. ( Sally Byrant ) Download 4.3 MB

"They are spreading, they have a massive impact on natural ecosystems, they can spread disease, they can devastate the natural environment."

Farmers Association wants a complete overhaul of pest control measures, including deer

The NSW Farmers Association agreed there was a problem with feral deer.

It wants to see a more strategic approach to all invasive pest species, both plants and animals.

NSW Farmers Association conservation and resource management committee chair Mitchell Clapham said he was concern about deer because of their potential to spread disease in the event of a major outbreak of things like foot and mouth.

"When we have such a large population of feral animals that can carry exotic diseases...if we did have an outbreak and it headed into the pest animal population, then we have a major problem that would absolutely decimate our grazing industries."

Mr Clapham said he was also concerned about how pests like deer are controlled on public lands.

"We need the same control measures and enforcement across the whole landscape."

Deer cause sleepless nights for apple grower

Towamba Valley apple grower Gary Kendall, from near Eden, said deer were causing widespread damage in his orchard.

Mr Kendall said he could see up to 20 at a time on his property.

"They'll come in and go right up the rows, plucking off the buds...and it takes two to three years before we actually get that fruit bud back again."

He said yields were dramatically affected.

"No flower, no fruit!

"In the 17 years we've been here, we've lost tens of thousands of dollars."

Mr Kendall shoots deer to try and control numbers on his property.

"Normally if you get two you're doing pretty well because once the shot goes off they bolt."

The deer have also eaten his son's crop of beans.

Mr Kendall said the rules around hunting deer were crazy.

However, he said he did not think hunting was the solution.

"These are not game animals. They are a major farming pest.

"It's a major stress. I don't go to bed before one o'clock in the morning and I have to keep doing that every night."

Mr Kendall said he was also concerned for his wife's personal safety during the mating season.

He said deer have been known to kill some farmers in New Zealand.

"Basically, we have to have a rifle all the time ,so that whenever we see them we're prepared to shoot.

"I've had one stare me down...during the mating season and he was a very big stag, so I would be concerned if you turned your back on them."