As Italy struggles to deal with burgeoning populations of an introduced giant rodent, a mayor has come up with a novel solution – eat them.

Coypu were introduced to Italy a century ago from their native South America to be farmed for their fur.

But many escaped or were deliberately released after wearing fur fell out of fashion and the species is now thriving.

They have fared particularly well in the flatlands of the Po valley in northern Italy, where farmers complain that they devour crops and destroy levees and embankments by digging burrows.

Michele Marchi, the mayor of the town of Gerre de’ Caprioli, has suggested that numbers could be reduced if only Italians can develop a taste for coypu meat. He has tried it and says it tastes a bit like rabbit.

His proposal, launched on his Facebook page, has caused a lively social media debate, with some people in favour of the idea and others revolted by the prospect of tucking it what looks like a cross-between a beaver and a large rat.

“The debate about coypu has become bonkers, without coming to any resolution of the problem,” the 31-year-old mayor wrote.

“Here’s my idea – let’s start eating them in restaurants and at village food festivals.”