Wildlife

Wildlife: Farmland Hare Leverets and Agricultural Risk

Brown hare leverets are extremely vulnerable to agricultural machinery during spring and summer, with mechanical deaths being a significant welfare and population concern.

Key Facts

Female hares scatter leverets in separate hiding places to reduce predation risk
Leverets rely on lying still and camouflage rather than fleeing during their first weeks
Mowing, harvesting, and silage cutting operations cause mass mortality of leverets
Flushing bars fitted to mowing equipment can reduce leveret deaths by up to 80%
Peak vulnerability coincides with first and second silage cuts in May-June

Welfare Considerations

Death or injury from agricultural machinery involves acute trauma and severe suffering. Leverets that survive initial strikes are often mortally wounded and die slowly from internal injuries. The use of flushing bars, field walkers ahead of machinery, and cutting during daylight hours when leverets are more mobile significantly reduces this welfare harm.

What You Can Do

Fit flushing bars to all mowing and harvesting equipment where hares are present
Walk fields ahead of machinery to flush hares before cutting
Cut at dawn or dusk when leverets are more likely to flee
Consider cutting from the centre outward to allow animals to escape
Record and report hare mortality to local wildlife trusts