Rabbit numbers increasing

All Central Otago landowners need to have the rising rabbit population in their sights, to target and control the growing problem, farmers say.

With a dry year providing optimum rabbit breeding conditions and the effectiveness of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) declining, numbers of the pest animal are on the increase.

Earlier this week, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) held a rabbit control workshop in Cromwell to outline management plans for rabbit eradication, as well as control tools and options.

ORC regional services group manager Jeff Donaldson said about 40 people attended, with a good mix of landowners including orchardists, grape growers and pastoral farmers.

The ORC's new regional pest management strategy, which came into force last year, tightens the rules on rabbit control.

Landowners have until 2012 to comply. Galloway Station owner Andrew Preston said yesterday he thought the rules were fair.

"This property has historically been very rabbit-prone but we've got the numbers down and keep it under control."

A full-time rabbiter had been employed on the 13,800ha property, at Galloway, near Alexandra, for about 15 years, Mr Preston said.

"We've still seen an increase in numbers as the immunity to RHD builds up and it's been a good breeding season, but you can lower the numbers by keeping at it.

"Everyone has to do their bit though, and it seems a lot of people are not doing their part to keep numbers down," he said.

Richard Anderson, runholder of Kawarau Station, at Bannockburn, said high country farmers ran into problems when landowners on the lower country failed to keep rabbit numbers down.

"There seem to be a lot of landowners out there who don't realise how quick the rabbit population can explode," he said.

"If rabbits get away a wee bit on the lower country and the lifestyle blocks, the problem spreads to the high country blocks."

The station relied on casual shooters to keep rabbits down and probably spent about $20,000 a year on pest control, Mr Anderson said.

His son, John, had concerns about how the ORC's pest control strategy would be administered.

The ORC and all landowners had to play their part in tackling the problem, he said.

Mr Donaldson said controlling the pest was becoming more of an issue as the rabbit population grew.

Landowners would be fined as a last resort if they failed to comply with the new rules by 2012.

Another option, if farmers still failed to meet their obligations, was for the ORC to carry out the rabbit control work and then charge the landowner for the operation, Mr Donaldson said.

- lynda.van.kempen@odt.co.nz