The Operation of Coordinated Rabbit Control Organizations in England and Wales

Rabbit control organizations in England and Wales were studied between 1978 and 1982. A national survey of existing organizations showed that there were 2 types (societies and groups) and that they jointly covered only 2% of farmers and 1.5% of agricultural land. Three societies were studied for 3 years and were found to be underfunded and increasingly unable to provide coordinated control on adjoining properties. Farmers are provided with recommendations on how to run coordinated rabbit control organizations. Proc. Vertebr. Pest Conf. (A.C. Crabb and R.E. Marsh, Eds.), Printed at Univ. of Calif., Davis. 13:174-179, 1988 INTRODUCTION The European wild rabbit (Orvctolagus cuniculus) has been increasing in numbers in recent years throughout Britain (Trout et al. 1986), due mainly to a waning in the effects of myxomatosis (Ross and Tittensor 1986). It is now considered to be the major vertebrate pest of British agriculture, causing damage estimated to cost tens of millions of pounds each year (Reesetal. 1985). The effect of rabbit control on any one farm is often short-lived because reinfestation occurs from neighboring areas. Longer-lasting results can be achieved by coordinated control on adjoining areas. In a study in Australia (Rowley 1968), rabbit numbers were reduced for 18 months when control was conducted over the entire study area compared to only 6 months when control was limited to parts of the area. In both of these cases, a95% reduction in rabbit numbers had been initially achieved. Rowley (1968) considered that reinfestation explained why the lasting effects of control were shorter when the area of control was limited. Coordinated control by Pest Boards has been one of the main reasons for the significant reduction in rabbit numbers achieved in New Zealand since the 1950s (Thompson 1958, Williams 1984). In Great Britain in 1958 the Government introduced the rabbit clearance society scheme, awarding a grant of 50% to societies towards coordinated rabbit control costs. During the mid-1950s, an estimated 99 % of the rabbit population had been killed by the virus disease myxomatosis (Lloyd 1970) and the scheme was seen as a means of trying to maintain at a low level or even further reduce rabbit numbers. The number of societies increased until 1964 when 750 were operating. Forty-six percent of all agricultural land (6,000,000 ha) was included within the parishes (subdivisions of English and Welsh counties) in which these 750 societies operated but, because many farmers in these parishes did not join societies and because many who did join did not subscribe all of their land, only about half of this area (3,500,000 ha) was actually subscribed to societies for rabbit control. The number of societies then gradually decreased until 1971 when grant aid was withdrawn and the number rapidly decreased within that year from 550 to 280. A number of rabbit control organizations have been formed since 1971 and are referred to in this paper as rabbit action groups. They are treated separately from societies because, compared to societies, groups conducted rabbit control on all the agricultural land within their areas of operation, involved fewer farmers and were better financed. Since the recent increase in rabbit numbers is likely to accelerate (Ross and Sanders 1987), it is even more necessary to provide farmers with recommendations on how to establish and run a coordinated control organization. To provide a sound basis for these recommendations, a study of existing organizations in England and Wales was conducted between 1978 and 1982. This consisted of a national survey and a detailed examination of three societies. The results of the study and the recommendations arising from it are reported in this paper. METHODS National survey Questionnaires were sent to Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (M AFF) advisers throughout England and Wales to determine the number of organizations and obtain the following information on each: type (society or group); location; number of members; area (ha.) of subscribed land; methods of fund-raising and the costs (£) to members; the number of operators and their period of employment; and methods of rabbit control. The extent of organized rabbit control throughout England and Wales was determined by comparing the number of members and area of land covered by these organizations with the national number of farmers and area of agricultural land, obtained from a MAFF census conducted in the year of the survey. To test the hypothesis that rabbit control organizations are more numerous in those parts of the country where rabbits are more abundant, the results of a survey (Trout and Tittensor 1983) of rabbit abundance in England and Wales were