Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Advice and legislation relating to the management and control of rabbits.
- Legal status
- Advice & leaflets - resolving damage problems involving rabbits
- Rabbit position statement: (22kb)
Legal status
Rabbits can be important in maintaining plant diversity in a range of habitats, but they can also cause significant damage.
All occupiers have statutory obligations regarding wild rabbits that are harbouring on their land.
An Order has been made under Section One of the Pests Act 1954 by which England and Wales (except for the City of London, the Isles of Scilly and Skokholm Island) have been declared a Rabbit Clearance Area. In this area, every occupier of land is responsible for controlling wild rabbits on his/her land or for taking steps to prevent them causing damage. This is a continuing obligation.
Advice & leaflets - resolving damage problems involving rabbits
Rabbit populations can withstand high mortality from natural causes, so control efforts by man must add to these, not merely replace them, if direct control is to be effective. Because of the size of the effort required, and the rabbit's inherent capacity for population increase, complete eradication is impractical. Instead, the aim should be to reduce rabbit numbers to levels at which damage is economically acceptable.
Rabbits do not respect boundaries and the most effective results will be achieved if management action is undertaken on adjoining land at the same time in a co-operative exercise.
Advice on managing rabbit populations, including a summary of the relevant legal considerations, is available in leaflet TIN003
. More specific advice on cage trapping and rabbit-proof fencing is also available from the range of advisory leaflets. You may also find our answers to frequently asked questions [398 kB]: (529kb) useful. If you require additional guidance contact us. We will either assist you directly or put you in touch with your local Wildlife Management Adviser. Advisers can offer more specific guidance to you over the telephone.
If you are suffering damage from rabbits coming from neighbouring land, you should identify the landowner(s) concerned and liaise with them to agree how the issue will be resolved. Natural England believes that the long-term resolution of rabbit complaints is best achieved by co-operation. Without co-operation, problems are almost certain to recur. If co-operation fails, occupiers do have options such as rabbit fencing to prevent damage.
If rabbits are harboured on land owned by Network Rail you should first put your complaint directly to the company using Network Rail's National Helpline 08457 114141.
Natural England considers it would only be appropriate to spend public money taking on complaint cases in exceptional circumstances, as compulsion is not the best way of resolving problems with rabbits in the mid to long term. Exceptional circumstances would not normally be damage at a holding or parish scale.
Should you require further information on managing problems with rabbits, or be considering making a complaint, you should contact the Wildlife Licensing Unit.
