Graham White, a North Wagga farmer, said he is currently considering baiting them out after noticing a significant increase. 

“It was a real issue a few years ago and we got rid of them then,” Mr White said. 

“They have certainly come back in numbers around the sheds.” 

Mr White said the amount of rabbits haven’t been a concern in recent years but this year he has noticed a change and is keen for a new virus release. 

Mr White said rabbits can cause big problems for farmers. 

“For a farmer – any rabbit is too many,” Mr White said. 

“They dig under the buildings and eat all the grass; their burrows can be a real problem.” 

The concern comes as the NSW government pushes the March release of a Korean strain of a naturally occurring rabbit virus. 

Domestic rabbit owners have been urged to keep their rabbits inside or in insect proof enclosures and to get their pets vaccinated before the virus is released. 

The European rabbit is Australia’s most destructive agricultural pest animal, costing more than $200 million in lost agricultural production and threatening plants and animals.