A Richmond city councillor says farmers in his community south of Vancouver should be allowed to shoot thousands of rabbits eating their way through fields and destroying crops.

Harold Steves said the population of domestic rabbits has exploded in the rural areas of south Richmond and farmers are losing the battle.

Thousands of rabbits are eating crops in Richmond.
(CBC)

"They've tried running after them with butterfly-type nets and tried catching them. They've tried live traps," he told CBC News Tuesday.

He said even electric fencing isn't keeping the hungry rabbits at bay.

"The rabbits have figured out they can take a run at the electric fence and they can actually get under that wire before they get zapped."

Farmers are losing their battle with the rabbits.
(CBC)

Steves said farmers should be allowed to shoot the rabbits under B.C.'s Right to Farm Act. The legislation gives farmers the right to protect livestock from predators.

He said police were called recently because a farmer was taking aim at a rabbit with a pellet gun. The farmer was told he can't shoot rabbits out of season.

But Steves said there is no season for these rabbits because they are domestic bunnies, which "don't do much else except eat and sometimes bite."

It's estimated there were 1,000 of the former pets running wild in south Richmond last year. They have since multiplied to about 5,000.