A Survey Of Rabbit Damage And Control Measures Used In The East And Northeast Of Scotland

A postal survey conducted of 172 farms in the intensive farming areas of East and Northeast Scotland revealed that one in four farms considered that there was a serious rabbit {Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) problem. Although a wide range of crops was subject to damage, winter cereals and winter oilseed rape were particularly affected by grazing, especially in the winter and spring periods. Two-thirds of farmers reported damage to temporary and permanent grass in the spring. The most common methods used to control rabbit damage were day-time and night-time shooting. Most methods of control were considered to be cost and time effective.