The effectiveness of rabbit control on selected North Canterbury farms

Abstract

This project discusses some aspects of the effectiveness of present rabbit control practices and organization. The text reviews the introduction and establishment of the rabbit in New Zealand and describes the rabbit's status as an agricultural pest. The history of rabbit control policy and methods are discussed with emphasis on the difficulty in implementing the current policy of economic control. The biological and ecological research is reviewed and recommendations for more integrated control and concentration of control effort are compared to present control practice and policy.

Five farms were selected for a more detailed investigation of rabbit numbers; rabbit control effort, and the relationship to farm financial performance.

It was found that farm profitability is greatly dependent on product prices and the less intensive farms are more vulnerable financially to price changes. The level of rabbit numbers and farm financial performance are effects of common causes and the relationship between farm physical characteristics and profitability keeps rabbit numbers low where they are already low and high where they have always been high.

It is suggested that the recommendations for a more integrated and economic approach to rabbit control must be demonstrated to be effective if they are to be implemented.