Brown Hare Decline and Agricultural Welfare Recovery

Brown hare populations in the UK have declined by up to 80% since the 1960s, driven by agricultural intensification that destroys leverets and removes the habitat structure hares depend on.

Key Facts

Brown hare populations in England fell from an estimated 4 million in the 1960s to around 800,000 today
Leverets (young hares) are born above ground in a shallow form and are highly vulnerable to machinery and predation
Hares rely on the diversity of arable field margins and hedgerows for shelter, foraging, and escape from predators
Spring and summer cereal harvesting causes direct leveret mortality when young are in the crop
Agri-environment scheme uptake with uncultivated field margins has shown local population increases

Welfare Considerations

Brown hares face welfare threats at every life stage from agricultural intensification. Leverets rely on camouflage rather than speed for defence and are killed in large numbers by harvesting machinery that moves through fields faster than they can escape. Adult hares in simplified landscapes with few field margins have limited areas to shelter and escape predators, increasing stress and predation rates. The boxing behaviour seen in March reflects male competition that is part of normal social behaviour, not distress. Recovery requires landscape-scale changes to agriculture — uncultivated margins, delayed spring cutting, and retained overwinter stubbles — that benefit hares and many other farmland species.

What You Can Do

Support agri-environment schemes that fund uncultivated field margins and wildlife-friendly farming practices
Buy food from farms with accreditation schemes that reward hare-friendly habitat management
Oppose illegal hare coursing through reporting suspicious activity to the police
Participate in Mammal Society hare monitoring schemes to track population trends