Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a closed season for the hunting of hares.

Wildlife conservation is a devolved matter so this answer is for England only.

The population of brown hares in England is believed to be stable. The majority of hare shooting occurs in regions where brown hares are locally abundant and leads to no long-term impact on hare populations. There is no evidence to suggest that a closed season would significantly benefit the conservation status of brown hares.

An industry-led initiative resulted in the publication of a code of practice to protect hares in England. This provides for a voluntary close season covering the main breeding season, while allowing farmers to protect their crops from serious damage by hares.