To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an estimate of changes in the wild rabbit population in the last five years. (265483)

Rabbit populations can fluctuate widely from year to year especially at the local level. However, the most recent mammal data from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust National Gamebag Census indicates that the trend for the UK rabbit population is a decline of 19 per cent. for the period 2002-07.