Rabbit strategy lifts yields
Rabbit strategy lifts yields
By Allan Wright
A STRATEGIC approach to rabbit control is adding £111/ ha (£45/acre) to crop outputs on Buccleuch Estates, Dumfriesshire.
"With myxomatosis no longer giving much control, the problem at Buccleuch was getting out of hand. The effect on new woodlands and farms, both in-hand and let, was so severe something had to be done," says assistant factor Andrew Wootton.
In 1995, the estate paid for a study by consultant Roger Trout. He reported that a fire brigade approach was no use. Even if 70% of rabbits in an area are killed, numbers would recover in a year.
"We were dealing with huge numbers, giving them an ideal habitat of woodlands and scrub surrounding a plentiful food supply in our fields. Mr Trout felt we were not devoting enough resources to control the population and that an increased spend should be coupled to a strategic approach," recalls Mr Wootton.
Keepers were asked to identify prime breeding areas and those where potential crop loss was highest.
"We then prepared a management plan for each area and made our first sweep of the main breeding grounds." The problem was felt to be so great that pheasant poults were bought in, releasing keepers for rabbit control from February to June, the main breeding season.
A tenant farmer involved from the start was David Rogerson, who farms land surrounded by woods at Alton, Thornhill. Controlling rabbits with netting and boxes led to extra yield from grass and arable crops worth £110/ha (£45/acre), he says.
On 10 co-operating let farms the estate supplied rabbit boxes worth £50 each for use every 100m. Tenants paid for netting at 50p/m plus 50p/m for erecting alongside an existing fence using farm staff. Contractors charged £1.50/m to supply and erect the fence.
"We have netted more than 20km on the estate since the end of 1995. We feel we have stopped the increase in rabbits and now have the situation under control," says Mr Wootton.
"The boxes take a high initial toll, then the rabbits food source is cut off, breeding is reduced, and setting the boxes a few times a year is sufficient. Control has to be a balance between farm economics, welfare, and the food supply for species depending on rabbits."
New woodland plantations demand a different approach – a nil rabbit population is needed to avoid damage. "The problem was costing us £340/acre in young woodlands. Now it is £95 – £45 fencing and £50 keepering – over three years until the plantations become established and the cost is recouped from straight trees all at the same stage of maturity.
"What we need now is the same strategic approach for the whole valley, where there is still a huge rabbit problem. Control will only come if everyone – foresters, farmers, Railtrack, and others – join in. I think some farmers do not believe the losses rabbits can cause. But I remain hopeful a rabbit clearance society can be formed," he says.
Extensive fencing and trap boxes have helped Andrew Wootton bring rabbit numbers down to manageable proportions at Buccleuch Estates. Barley grew right to the edge of the field this year, thanks to fencing. Severe grazing damage is usually suffered up to 30m into the crop.