§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the annual economic loss sustained by the agricultural sector from infestation by(a) rabbits, (b) voles, (c) rats and (d) mice. [137253]
§ Mr. BradshawIn the 1980s the Department estimated the total cost of rabbit damage to agricultural crops in Britain to be approximately £100 million per annum. The Central Science Laboratory has derived a current estimate, based on extrapolation from the 1980s, of approximately £115 million per annum with the total cost of rabbit control activity being approximately £5 million per annum.
There are no figures available for economic losses to the agricultural sector caused by voles, rats or mice, as Defra does not collate these data.