The development of a model to assess the effects of rabbit grazing on grass

Abstract

Summary Grass for use as silage is widely grown in the UK. However there is little information on the effects of rabbit grazing on crop yield. In a three‐year trial, grass was grown in six enclosures following current agronomic procedures and was subjected to grazing by two population densities of rabbits. The annual yield loss at the end of the trial was found to be 1% per rabbit ha −1 . The yield loss per rabbit was calculated to be around 200 kg and the financial loss was calculated as £3.40 per rabbit at 1998 prices (approx. £17 t −1 ). This new information provides farmers with a better understanding of the economics of damage caused by rabbits enabling them to make more informed decisions as to whether their rabbit population needs to be managed, or whether their crop needs to be protected by some other means.