An evidence-based guide to brown hare (Lepus europaeus) welfare on UK farmland, including population decline, coursing and hunting threats, and habitat management.
Key Facts
Brown hares (Lepus europaeus) have declined by 80% in the UK since the 1960s — intensive agriculture has eliminated the heterogeneous farmland habitats they depend on.
Hares are surface-living mammals with no burrow refuge — they rely on camouflage and speed; agricultural intensification has reduced cover, food diversity, and nesting security.
Hare coursing — using dogs to chase hares — causes extreme stress and often physical injury or death; it was made illegal in the UK under the Hunting Act 2004 but continues illegally.
Legal hare shooting is not subject to closed seasons in England — hares can be shot year-round, including when pregnant or nursing leverets; this represents a significant welfare gap.
Agri-environment scheme options including hare cover crops, field margin management, and overwinter stubble have shown 3-5x increases in hare density where implemented.
Hares are prey for foxes, stoats, and birds of prey — predation is a natural welfare pressure, but the loss of cover from intensive farming has removed the refugia that reduce predation rates.
The Hare Preservation Trust advocates for a close season for hares to protect pregnant and nursing females — a significant welfare and conservation policy gap in English law.
Welfare Considerations
Brown hares are disappearing from British farmland because their habitat has been systematically destroyed. Hare coursing causes illegal deliberate welfare harm. The absence of a hare close season allows legal shooting during breeding. Support the Hare Preservation Trust's campaign for a close season. Advocate for agri-environment scheme uptake that specifically targets hare habitat restoration.
What You Can Do
Support the Hare Preservation Trust campaign for a legal close season for hares in England
Report suspected hare coursing to police wildlife crime units — it is illegal under the Hunting Act 2004
Advocate for Countryside Stewardship scheme options that create hare cover crops and field margins
Donate to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust's hare habitat research and restoration programs