Co-ordinated rabbit control program

21 Feb 2023

The Local Land Services Biosecurity Team in Greater Sydney wants to hear from landholders in the Arcadia, Glenorie, Middle Dural, Galston and Dural areas to gauge your interest in a rabbit control program on your property.

Unfortunately, analysis of recent RHDV releases indicates that its effectiveness on rabbit populations has been limited. This is most likely because:

• RHDV is most effective as a secondary control after using a primary control such as pindone baiting or warren ripping, and
• Prevalent rainfall leading to year-round breeding results in the constant presence of juvenile rabbits which are resistant to RHDV,
• RHDV circulates through the rabbit population naturally. Often an RHDV release may be preceded by an already naturally occurring process.

After consulting with experts from NSW DPI, Greater Sydney LLS has decided to replace the 2023 RHDV release with a coordinated Pindone program, planned for February/March.

All landholders, land managers and contractors previously involved in the RHDV program are strongly encouraged to participate in the coordinated pindone program.

Some landholders may have properties under the threshold to utilise pindone (i.e. properties under 1000 square metres). In these cases, landholders are encouraged to consider warren ripping or harbor destruction as this control method has been shown to yield similar results to pindone and will reduce re-invasion in subsequent years.

Some landholders are affected by rabbits, however the warrens are present on neighbouring properties. In these cases, a discussion about warren ripping or harbor destruction should be held with your neighbour, as no level of RHDV or pindone baiting will resolve the problem.

If you require Vertebrate Pesticide Induction Training or a refresher on pindone baiting, please contact your local office to register your interest for an upcoming workshop.

Otherwise, please advise us if you would like to participate in the coordinated pindone baiting program so our Biosecurity Team can arrange for bait to be provided and keep you informed of any developments.

For more information, contact Jacob French at jacob.french@lls.nsw.gov.au or phone 0438 073 749.