Australia launches $4 million program to develop new rabbit biocontrol

Rising rabbit populations across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia are causing extensive damage to pastures, crops and native ecosystems, costing the Australian agriculture sector more than $200 million each year. Resistance to the long‑used myxomatosis virus has reduced the effectiveness of the country's primary biocontrol method.

In response, the government will announce a $4 million national partnership, including $2.6 million of Commonwealth funding, for a Future‑Proofing Rabbit Biocontrol programme. The initiative, backed by CSIRO and industry groups such as Meat & Livestock Australia, aims to develop the next generation of biological controls to protect livestock, farmland and biodiversity.