§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the annual cost to(a) farming and (b) forestry of damage caused by wild rabbits; and what is his estimate of their current numbers.
§ Mr. MacleanDamage from wild rabbits to agriculture and horticulture in the United Kingdom is estimated to cost £100 million to £150 million annually. I do not have any information on the costs to forestry.
National surveys between 1980 and 1986 showed a steady increase in the population of rabbits particularly in eastern and south-eastern areas. They are now estimated to number 30 million, about one third the level which existed before the arrival of myxomatosis.