Conversion to organic farming has been very successful and has had a very good effect on the wildlife found on the farm.

Predator numbers have grown and are very helpful. But, there can be excessive numbers of some wild animals.

Particular problems are:

...too many rabbits, grazing valuable grass.

• 2 rabbits = 1 hare.
  
• 8 hares = 1 sheep.
  
• 10 sheep need 0.5 hectares.

Therefore, 160 rabbits use 0.5 hectares. We have, perhaps, 1000 rabbits.

...too many badgers.

They eat slugs (good!) and worms (bad!), amongst other things. They also dung in crops, scrape a lot of soil and make holes in dangerous places. Their numbers have grown excessively. We have several hundred on our farm. While they may be TB-free here at present, we live in constant fear of a TB (tuberculosis) outbreak amongst the cattle.

...birds of prey - buzzards, hawks etc.

Since gamekeepers stopped controlling their numbers, they have multiplied and take many more song birds and pheasant chicks (all wild - none are reared here).