Rabbits are a major pest problem throughout the UK and all land owners are obliged by law to control them. Under Section 1 of the Pests Act 1954, the whole of England, apart from the City of London and Isles of Scilly, have been declared a rabbit clearance area.

Under Section 1 (2) of the 1954 Act, all occupiers of land in a rabbit clearance area have a continuing obligation to kill or take any wild rabbits living on, or resorting to, their land, unless they can establish that it is not reasonably practicable to do so.  If it is not practicable to destroy the rabbits, occupiers have an obligation to prevent the rabbits from causing damage elsewhere by, for example, fencing them in with rabbit-proof fencing.

The obligation to control rabbits is irrespective of the use being made of the occupier’s land or that of their neighbours.

If rabbits have a warren on your property ferreting is a very effective form of control with no guns or poison used.   No risk to non-target species, children or pets.  When the morning/evening ferreting has finished all rabbits are used for food or fed to our team of working ferrets to keep them in top condition.

• On large farms/ estates ferreting or lamping with air rifles will be our preferred control method
• Ferrets, cage traps, drop boxes and MK6 Fenn traps may all be used as well as rifles, in conjunction with rabbit proof stock fencing if required on problem sites
• In domestic gardens usually trapping or the use of an air rifle may be the only feasible option
• Ferrets and rabbit nets are used to control rabbits.

Purse Nets are placed over the rabbit holes and a ferret chases them from their burrows into the nets.   It is a very effective form of rabbit control that has been used for centuries.

Long Nets  are 50 – 100 yards long and positioned with stakes along the boundary/ edges of a warren in places where individual nets would be difficult to site. Then used in conjunction with the ferrets as above.

We have 3 working/pet ferrets.  Our ferrets were all rescued from the local RSPCA.  They are handled regularly and kept in a large “clean” hutch with a large run, high quality food and plenty of clean water, exercise and toys to keep them stimulated and above all healthy and happy.

Air Rifles

All air rifles used are pre charged pneumatic multi-shot rifles under sub 12ft/lb fully serviced and within legal limits, and appropriate insurances licences are in place. An extremely accurate and humane way of controlling rabbits up to ranges of around 40 – 50  yards and are a very quiet, non-intrusive method of control.