This item will help to bring features on designated sites into favourable condition. It will help vegetation to recover, where it has been affected by erosion due to the activity of rabbits. The types of vegetation that are most likely to be at risk include sand dune, machair and grassland. There may also be cases where geological features are at risk.
You must carry out a control programme to control the rabbits. The programme should be based on live trapping with fen or box traps, gassing with moisture-activated compounds and/or shooting and lamping methods.
The work must be carried out in a legal and humane manner.
You must comply with all appropriate legislation and Codes of Practice including the Open General Licence as issued each year by the Scottish Government, BASC Codes of Practice on Shooting, Lamping and Trapping of Pest Mammals.
This item will only be available where it is part of a habitat management programme aimed at achieving favourable condition of features on a SSSI or Natura site. You should target your effort where it will give most benefit to the SSSI or Natura features, rather then being focused on agricultural benefits.
If features are being affected by other herbivores as well as burrowing animals, then the management plan must include measures to address both of these impacts in an integrated way.
This item will not be available to address the requirements of GAEC, but it will support works required to bring features into favourable condition where this work is over and above the requirements of GAEC.
You must provide an annual report, including the following:
- details of the methods that you have used
- time spent on controlling rabbits across the specified period
- numbers controlled and date of control (to month)
- location of effort - where traps are located, and where other control measures are taking place
- a record of progress towards agreed outcomes, e.g. sward height in early summer, area affected by burrowing activity.
Eligible costs include labour and running costs associated with shooting, trapping or gassing. You must agree them in advance, with your case officer providing details of the work required and a breakdown of the estimated costs. You can make only one claim for payment for this item in any 5 year period. A one off payment will be paid in arrears.
Payment Rate/Actual Cost
We will make a variable rate capital payment of up to 100% of eligible costs, depending on the requirement to allow the project to go ahead.
Claims must be supported by an invoice or other evidence of the work.