MENACE OF RABBITS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27385, 10 May 1950, Page 8

MENACE OF RABBITS

Ettrick Sheepfarmer’s Problem WORK OF BOARD CONDEMNED While he was paying the Ettrick Rabbit Board 6d an acre levy on his 2800 acre run, he had been forced in self-protection to engage freelance rabbiters and to carry out poisoning operations on his own account in an endeavour to keep the pest under control, Mr R. Aitcheson, sheep farmer of Ettrick, said in a statement to ,the Daily Times. His main desire had been to co-operate with the hoard and to assist it in every way, but he asserted it had failed lamentably in its job of killing rabbits. Mr Aitcheson estimated there were more than 60,000 rabbits on his property. Based on this figure and on the fact that five rabbits consume as much as a sheop, the carrying capacity of the property could be increased by 12,000 sheep.

Recently he had purchased carrots and strychnine, Mr Aitcheson continued, and on a 200-acre paddock he had killed 1500 rabbits. He considered that was more than the board had managed to destroy in four months. Actually, all the assistance the board had given him was the services of two rabbiters for about two weeks and a-half in January, .when some fumigating work was carried out.

He was unable to say with any degree of certainty that the work had been satisfactory, but he did know that he employed trappers to follow up on the board’s work on the same paddock. In November last the local stock inspector and the board’s foreman discussed the problem with him, stated Mr Aitcheson, and the, financial embarrassment of the board was brought forward as a reason for the delay in a commencement of operations. “I suggested the purchase of a fumigator. and it was agreed that if I purchased one it would not remain idle. I did so at a cost of £BO. Except for a few weeks’ work, it has remained idle ever since.” In 1947 Mr Aitcheson said he took £9OO worth of clover seed, from the 200-acre block on which he recently poisoned 1500 rabbits. That was an indication how land was going out of production. The area was now alive with rabbits. So acute had the problem become that he had been forced to cut his flock down by,300 head of sheep and

to lease an adjoining property to help tide him over. He had written to the member for the district—the Minister of Internal Affairs. Mr Bodkin—setting out the whole position. It was hopelessly out of control, Mr AUcheson continued. He was having success with carrots for poisoning, for which he paid £8 a ton, and had ordered 10 tons. While he was doing this in an endeavour to keep some sort of control of the pest, he was still paying the board an overall 6d an acre. The board, he believed, had been laying poison with oats, but without a great deal of success. At the beginning of this week he laid poison on a small block of 30 acres and counted 400 carcasses, but it seemed hardly fair that he should have to carry on in this manner and at the same time contribute heavily towards the funds of a rabbit board which did little to assist him.

Mr Aitclieson said he had netted off two blocks, but it was futile to continue with such work unless the board followed up and cleaned out the rabbits. He had also purchased about £6OO worth of rabbit netting ready to erect, but nothing was to be gained by netting the rabbits in unless they were to be cleaned out immediately.

Further, he'had paid half the cost of netting fence from his bottom land up to the Government block. “ I have done everything possible to help the board, but get no assistance,” he added, “ I would not object to paying the board’s levy if I got results. It would be worth it and more, but the board is not doing its job.”