DOC, LINZ Must Share Burden Of SI Rabbit Plague – Carter
April 20th, 2009
Agriculture Minister, David Carter, says the Dept of Conservation and Land Information NZ must play a bigger role in curbing the explosion in rabbit numbers in Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago. DOC’s share of land in the South Island amounts to about 43% of the land mass, while LINZ also has responsibility for significant areas. He says the Govt departments “need to acknowledge they need to play a greater role in tackling the problem.”
Key Ministers met with a delegation of Marlborough farmers about the rabbit problem last month and among Govt considerations is boosting research to restore the virulence of rabbit calicivirus disease. While the introduction of RCD drew criticism, “it did give us an effective decade of control. The problem now is resistance building up in the rabbit population.” Local bodies use the McLean scale to assess rabbit populations, issuing notices of direction to farmers when numbers become excessive. According to Federated Farmers estimates, about 7,040 ha of farm land are now under notice in Marlborough, 26,000 ha in Canterbury and 10,700 ha in Otago.
Copyright © The Main Report Group - NZ AGri-Business
